Unexpected Visitors

Last night a Japanese fishing vessel came to Midway in order to drop off an injured crew member who needed to be evacuated to Honolulu. The poor guy got a long line fish hook in his neck and needed medical attention. The crew had a very hard time getting their ship (the Kotobuki Maru No. 38) into the harbor due to high winds, big seas, and the limited maneuverability of their vessel. While they were making their way into the channel that leads to the harbor the ship struck the bottom, although we did not know this at the time. It took almost 30 minutes for the crew to get their ship tied up to the dock due to the wind but they finally got the vessel secure and were able to unload the crewman. I spoke to our doctor, who examined the man upon his arrival, and he told me that the hook was imbedded in the man's neck and had barely missed the carotid artery (extremely lucky). None of the crew from the ship speaks English but eventually a translator was brought up on the radio and the Captain was able to communicate to the staff here that they had hit bottom while coming in and were leaking diesel. Once we found that out our night got busy in a hurry! A crew was organized to assemble and deploy an oil containment boom around the ship. I was in the boat that pulled the boom into place around the ship (with John and Twan) while another crew on the dock helped secure the boom in place. The whole operation went smoothly, and everyone worked together very well. In the photo above, taken this morning, you can see the orange containment boom around the hull of the ship. As of tonight, the ship is still here, waiting for repairs and a Coast Guard inspection crew who are flying in tonight.