A US Coast Guard helicopter lifted four sick crew members off a tanker near Puerto Rico on Sunday morning, 8 November 2026. The ship was about one nautical mile south of the island of Vieques. The four seafarers had suspected food poisoning.
The Coast Guard says the ship is a 328-foot (about 100 metres) oil tanker under the flag of Cyprus. Its press release spells the name Daibelli. In ship registers, the tanker is Diabelli (IMO 9866964), a small product tanker built in 2022. The Maritime Executive says the ship was at anchor during the rescue.
How the rescue worked
On Saturday night, the ship's Master called the Coast Guard rescue centre in San Juan. He reported that four crew members had symptoms of food poisoning. The Coast Guard decided to send a helicopter.
An MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter came from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen. The crew lifted all four seafarers into the helicopter, one by one, with a hoist. A hoist is a cable with a rescue basket or strop that pulls people up.
The helicopter co-pilot, Lt. Stan Raymond, said the ship was a difficult place for a hoist. He said the team worked together to find the safest spot on deck.
The helicopter flew the four seafarers to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan. Medical teams were waiting there. Then the seafarers went to a hospital in Carolina, near San Juan.
The Coast Guard has not said how the four seafarers are now. It has not said what made them ill. It has not given their names or nationalities. US Customs and Border Protection, the US Public Health Service and Puerto Rico emergency medical services helped with the operation.
This is not the only case this week. On 9 November, three fishermen also fell suddenly ill at sea off Sri Lanka. We wrote about the Sri Lanka Navy bringing the three ill fishermen ashore.
What to do if several crew members get sick after eating
The cause on this tanker is not known. The advice below is general. It helps on any ship when several people become ill at the same time.
Act early. The Master can ask for free radio medical advice from a doctor ashore. This service is often called TMAS (Telemedical Maritime Assistance Service). Near land, the local rescue centre can arrange a medical evacuation.
Give clear facts: how many people are ill, their symptoms, when they started and what they ate or drank. Also give the ship's position and your plan.
Stop using the food or water that may be bad. Keep a sample in the fridge, labelled with the date. Doctors and port health officers may want to test it.
Watch for dehydration. People with vomiting or diarrhoea lose a lot of water. Follow the ship's medical guide and the doctor's advice on drinks and medicine.
Keep sick crew members away from food work until they are well. This includes cooks and messmen.
Prepare for a helicopter. Clear a safe area on deck, secure loose items, and follow the helicopter crew's instructions.
How cooks can prevent food poisoning on board
Wash hands before cooking and after touching raw meat, fish or eggs.
Keep raw and cooked food apart. Use separate boards and knives.
Check fridge and freezer temperatures every day. Do not refreeze food that has thawed.
Cook meat, chicken and fish all the way through. Do not keep cooked food warm for many hours.
Check stores when they arrive. Refuse food that smells bad, is past its date or arrives warm.
Keep drinking water tanks and filters clean, as the ship's plan requires.
Under MLC 2006 (the Maritime Labour Convention), shipowners must give crews safe food and drinking water. Ship's cooks must be trained and qualified for the job. Good cooks are in demand: see Chief Cook salaries on Crewboard.
Find rescue, medical and welfare contacts for seafarers on our useful links page.
Cover photo: a US Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter of Air Station Borinquen over Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan, January 2023. Illustrative photo, not necessarily the helicopter in this rescue. Photo: Colin Cooke/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped).
Sources: US Coast Guard: Coast Guard medevacs 4 crewmembers from oil tanker off Vieques, Puerto Rico (press release, 9 Nov 2026), gCaptain: Coast Guard airlifts four oil tanker crew members after suspected food poisoning (9 Nov 2026), The Maritime Executive: USCG medevacs four tanker crewmembers with food poisoning (9 Nov 2026), El Nuevo Día: Guardia Costera evacúa a cuatro marineros con posible intoxicación alimentaria al sur de Vieques (9 Nov 2026), VesselFinder: DIABELLI, IMO 9866964.
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