A sick crew member was evacuated from a 400-foot accommodation barge on Monday, about 140 nautical miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard sector watchmen in San Juan received a call from the DB Superior Performance barge reporting a medical emergency for a 46-year-old crew member who was suffering from possible cardiac distress and required specialist medical attention ashore . At the time of the emergency, the tug Crosby Leader was towing the barge on a trip from Brazil to the United States

Coast Guard watchmen led the launch of an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter from Borinquen Air Base to conduct the medevac. Upon arrival at the scene, the helicopter crew lowered their lifeguard swimmer, along with a rescue basket, which worked with the crew to secure the patient and hoist him onto the aircraft.

The Coast Guard helicopter transported the patient to Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where pending emergency medical service personnel received him and transported him to Pavia Hospital in San Juan.

“The crew was assembled in an extremely short time, however everyone did their part to ensure a positive outcome despite the difficult conditions,” said Lt. Shea Smith, commanding officer of the MH-60T aircraft. Coast Guard for the case. “This shows the importance of standardization within the aviation community. It was a great deal with a great result. We are happy to have been able to help a distressed sailor colleague obtain a higher standard of care. “