Video: Overboard Tanker Crew Member Rescued in the Gulf of Mexico

A mariner has been rescued after reportedly falling from a tanker in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.

The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Houston-Galveston command center received a distress call on VHF-FM channel 16 at 9:23 a.m. from personnel aboard the Liberian-registered vessel Ghibli, stating that a crew member had fallen overboard about 10 miles offshore Galveston, Texas and was not wearing a life jacket.

Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast, diverted an already airborne MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Houston and directed the launch of a 45-foot Response Boat–Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Galveston.

The helicopter crew located the man, deployed a rescue swimmer to pull him from the water, and transported him to University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston to receive further care.

The man is said to be in stable condition.

"Wearing a life jacket is absolutely crucial," said Travis Addison, Operations Unit Controller at Sector Houston-Galveston. "It was fortunate that our helicopter crew was flying nearby. If not, this case might have ended differently."