Coast Guard rescue crews are en route to a distress call involving an injured crewman about 180 miles southwest of New Orleans.
The man, a crewman on the Liberian-flagged United Sunrise, a 700-foot tanker, is reported to have a deep cut in his forearm and requires immediate medical attention to minimize permanent muscle damage.
A rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans and a jet crew from Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala., are responding. The helicopter crew plans to transport the man to West Jefferson Medical Center in Gretna, La.