U.S. Coast Guard Briefs

Two serious incidents on May 19th; both require Coast Guard response.

• Coast Guard medevacs man from ship after explosion

TAMPA, FL: The Coast Guard medically evacuated a man after an explosion onboard a tanker 30-miles northwest of Tampa Bay at approximately 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., received a distress call at about 3:15 p.m. from the 614-foot German-flagged tanker BW Herdis reporting that a 56-year-old Kiribati crewmember had been injured after a hydraulic line exploded while the crew was raising the ship's anchor.

A Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Clearwater, Fla., was immediately launched, and they safely hoisted the man at about 5 p.m.

He was taken to Tampa General Hospital, in Tampa. His condition is stable. The man's name is being withheld due to next-of-kin notifications. The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.

• Coast Guard closes and then reopens Mississippi River after towing vessel collision

MEMPHIS, TN: The Coast Guard briefly closed the Mississippi River to all vessel traffic from mile marker 595 to 640 as the result of a towing vessel collision at approximately 3 a.m., Tuesday, May 19, 2009.

The collision between the towing vessels Golden Eagle and Mary Ann resulted in 26 adrift barges at mile marker 640. All of the adrift barges have been recovered.

The Coast Guard then worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to survey the navigational channel to ensure the river could be safely reopened to commercial traffic. The Coast Guard re-opened the Mississippi River to all vessel traffic from mile marker 595 to 640 at approximately 6:15 p.m.

There are no reports of injuries or pollution and the incident is under investigation.