A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew transported two crew members of the tanker Chemtrans Nova to the hospital after they fell overboard with a lifeboat 60 nautical miles east of Chincoteague, Virginia, on February 6.
The Coast Guard said the two engineers were reportedly working on an enclosed lifeboat when it released and they both went over with it.
The crew of the 228-meter-long Panamax crude oil tanker contacted Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders to request assistance.
The USCG diverted one of its cutters to the site. Once there, the cutter’s crew recovered one person off the lifeboat and the other from the water. Their injuries included a stomach laceration and broken leg.
The men were taken to Norfolk Sentara General Hospital for additional care.