Image for representation purposes only A Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen aircrew medevaced a 46-year-old mariner Saturday morning from a commercial motor vessel approximately 100 nautical miles east of St. Maarten. The patient, who was suffering from a rapidly progressing infection, was safely hoisted aboard an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter and transported to the Centro Médico Hospital trauma center in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for emergency specialized care. Rescue Sub-Center San Juan watchstanders were initially notified Wednesday night when the master of the M/V Kotka, a 1,083-foot Liberian flagged container ship, reported that a crew member was suffering from a severe, non-ambulatory infection that was unresponsive to onboard medication. At the time of the initial notification, the M/V Kotka was positioned more than 1,300 nautical miles east of the Lesser Antilles, well beyond the operational reach of land-based rescue helicopters and days away from port. To overcome the extreme maritime distance and tight medical timeline, Coast Guard search and rescue coordinators formulated a phased operational plan that involved the M/V Kotka increasing to maximum transit speed toward a designated rendezvous position east of the Leeward Islands. Meanwhile, Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen pre-positioned an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew in Sint Maarten Friday afternoon to shorten the distance for the medevac. A Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry maritime patrol aircraft also launched out of Miami to provide continuous communications relay, navigation assistance, and top-cover air escort. At approximately 100 nautical miles east of St. Maarten, the Jayhawk aircrew arrived on scene with the M/V Kotka. A Coast Guard rescue swimmer was deployed to the vessel’s deck, and he worked with the ship’s crew to prepare and safely hoist the mariner aboard the aircraft. Following the hoist, the helicopter crew completed the transit across the northeastern Caribbean, and t