The Coast Guard has issued a captain of the port order Monday to the fishing vessel ESS PURSUIT to return to port after two of their crewmembers were taken to a local hospital and treated for symptoms of exposure to a hazardous/chemical substance. The F/V ESS PURSUIT notified local EMS that two crewmembers were experiencing symptoms of blistering and difficulty breathing.
The two crewmembers were taken by EMS to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, Mass.
The Coast Guard is working with the State of Massachusetts and U.S. Public Health Service to decontaminate the fishing vessel and its four remaining crewmembers.
National Marine Fisheries Service and the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture have been notified in order to determine if the catch offloaded this morning was contaminated. The catch was isolated pending its analysis.
The hazardous containers were pulled up by the vessel in area south of Long Island while the fisherman were dredging for clams in Hudson Canyon. 10 canisters were encountered, one of which broke open exposing two crewmembers.
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