The captain and crew aboard the Crowley tug 'Explorer' were recently recognised by the US Coast Guard for "their humanitarian actions, unwavering determination, professionalism and skilled seamanship" after assisting a vessel that ran out of fuel 48 kilometres west of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Jacksonville-based crew arrived on scene shortly after the vessel became disabled. They responded to the stricken crew by giving them water, lifejackets, flashlights and a hand-held radio until the Coast Guard arrived on scene to provide additional assistance.
Following the incident, Captain Baumgartner of the Coast Guard issued an official letter of thanks to Captain Smith, expressing appreciation for the Crowley crew's assistance.
The 'Explorer' was the third Crowley vessel to be recognised for at-sea rescues in recent months. In January, the crew aboard the Crowley-owned and operated articulated tug-barge 'Achievement/650-8' pulled a man drifting out to sea from Tampa Bay, Florida.
Before that, in November 2012, the Crowley crew aboard the company-owned and -operated tug 'Guard' rescued a man struggling to stay afloat in the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay. Both rescues were successful.
Each of Crowley's vessels are fully trained and prepared to respond to a variety of emergency incidents. In addition to meeting defined regulatory training requirements, the company's crewmembers participate annually in the Crowley Safety Program, a custom training event designed exclusively for mariners. The program provides training in cold-water survival tactics, shipboard fire fighting, medical incidents and other relevant topics give the mariners survival skills and confidence in emergency situations.
The 'Explorer', homeported in Jacksonville, is a Crowley Puerto Rico Services tug that works with company-owned barges to carry cargo from South Florida to Puerto Rico on a weekly basis.
