JAMAICA BEACH, Texas — The United States Coast Guard rescued four men from a sinking shrimp boat about 11 miles south of Jamaica Beach in Galveston in the early morning hours of Friday.
The Houston-Galveston Coast Guard command center was notified about the sinking boat around 1:20 a.m. on Friday. A 45-foot rescue boat and a Coast Guard helicopter were deployed to rescue the ship's occupants.
The rescue crew brought a pump to the sinking ship but attempts to dewater the vessel failed. The Coast Guard said the efforts failed "due to significantly oily water" in the engine room.
The ship's four crewmembers were rescued and taken to shore. No injuries were reported, but the boat did reportedly sink.
The Coast Guard said it will monitor pollution response efforts as the sunk ship could reportedly have carried a maximum of 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
