BULK FREEDOM

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Bulk carrier caught in standoff after rescue of boat people

50 nautical miles off Grand Cayman the 'Bulk Freedom', enroute from Corpus Christi to Panama, located a small boat on April 4, 2021, with a dozen adults and two children on board. They appeared to be weak after having drifted for the past few days. The 'Bulk Freedom' reported the situation to the Cayman Island Coast Guard and proceeded to the anchorage off George Town, where it was assured the people would be transferred to shore. The castaways turned out to be Cuban citizens who had been on Grand Cayman treated as refugees. While they were not being detained on the island, they were being monitored with electronic bracelets. At least one of the couples had been in a legal dispute with the government seeking to have their marriage rights recognized as the woman is a Cayman citizen and reportedly married to a Cuban man, and they have an infant 10-month old child. The group told authorities that they had legal hired the boat from Grand Cayman and set out to sea, but it was unclear if they had a specific destination. The Cayman authorities reported the Cubans missing on April 4 after their electronic monitoring devices failed to respond. After the 'Bulk Freedom' anchored in Grand Cayman, the vessel was met by a Cayman Islands Coast Guard vessel along with police and Customs and Border officers. The Cubans announced to the officers that they did not want to return to Grand Cayman and that they wanted to stay aboard the bulk carrier to travel either to the USA or Central America where they would seek asylum. The Cayman authorities have been trying to persuade the refugees that the bulk carrier was not heading in that direction and was not prepared to transport them. At the moment, there continued to be a standoff with the individuals reporting they were now locked aboard the ship running low on supplies. The refugees have been posting on social media accounts with videos and photos and asking for supplies including water and food. The pictures showed them sleeping on the deck and floor in the accommodations area overcrowded and without proper facilities. One person agreed to return to the island and was transported ashore and placed into a quarantine hotel. A second member of the group may have later also gone ashore after reporting that they were not feeling well. At least 10 Cubans adults and two infants remained aboard the 'Bulk Freedom'.

Technical failure in Istanbul Strait

The 'Bulk Freedom', en route from Chornomorsk to Tarragona, suffered a technical failure during the transit of the Istanbul Strait and dropped anchor at Büyükdere Anchorage on Feb 24, 2020, at 8 a.m. The crew carried out repairs and the vessel resumed its voyage after completion with an ETA as of March 1.

Medevac off Cold Bay

A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, Alaska, MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medically evacuated a man from the "Bulk Freedom" in the vicinity of Cold Bay, Alaska, on Aug 22, 2017. A Jayhawk helicopter crew safely hoisted a 44-year old man and transported him to awaiting emergency medical services personnel in Cold Bay. Coast Guard District 17 command center watchstanders received notification from Coast Guard Communications Station Kodiak of a medevac request on Aug 21 from the bulk carrier stating the 44-year-old crewmember was suffering from abdominal pain. A Coast Guard flight surgeon recommended a medevac as soon as possible and instructed the M/V Bulk Freedom to sail closer to Cold Bay. At the time of the request, the "Bulk Freedom" was approximately 400 miles from Cold Bay. An Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and crew transited to Cold Bay in the evening to prepare for the medevac. They successfully medevaced the man 90 miles away from Cold Bay at approximately 11:26 a.m. on Aug 22 and transferred him to waiting emergency medical personnel in Cold Bay, for further transport to Anchorage. Weather on scene at the time of the hoist was winds south-southeast at 11.5 mph, visibility at six miles and seas of five feet.