A fire aboard a seismic research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico forced dozens of crew members to abandon ship Monday, with nearby offshore supply vessels helping bring the evacuees safely ashore.
The Cyprus-flagged Rem Andes was operating approximately 100 nautical miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana, when the fire broke out on October 12, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A Coast Guard C-27 Spartan aircraft from Air Station Clearwater intercepted the vessel’s mayday call and diverted to assist. Crew members who had evacuated into life rafts were picked up by responding offshore supply vessels and transported to Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
Local reports indicated that 46 people were aboard the vessel, including 38 who evacuated into life rafts and eight who remained aboard to fight the fire and assess the damage. The Coast Guard had initially reported 42 people aboard. No injuries were reported.
The fire was subsequently extinguished, and the vessel was coordinating commercial salvage operations, the Coast Guard said.
The rescue response also involved an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station New Orleans.
The 88-meter Rem Andes, built in 2012, is operated by Norway-based Rem Offshore and is equipped for offshore seismic surveys and geophysical data collection in support of energy exploration activities.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the vessel’s damage have not been disclosed.
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