PASCAGOULA, Miss. – The Military Sealift Command chartered tanker, Maersk Etienne, rescued 13 crew members from the oil tanker Mercer Street after it was attacked near the coast of Oman.
On July 29, 2021, at approximately 11 p.m. local time, the Maersk Etienne received a distress call from the Mercer Street and immediately made its way to the source of the emergency call. Upon arrival, the crew of the Maersk Etienne located two unconscious victims on deck and the remaining crew members preparing to abandon ship.
The crew of the Maersk Etienne recovered the two unconscious victims and provided lifesaving medical care. They were then airlifted to Oman by U.S. Navy helicopters and later transferred to a hospital in Oman.
The Maersk Etienne subsequently evacuated the remaining 11 crew members and are providing them with food, water, medical care, and shelter.
Mercer Street is a Liberian-flagged oil tanker managed by London-based Zodiac Maritime.
The incident that led the Mercer Street’s crew to abandon the ship is under investigation.
The Military Sealift Command is the U.S. Navy’s provider of ocean transportation for the Department of Defense. The MSC operates approximately 125 non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.
-USNS Newport News (T-ATS 6)-.
