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NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard assisted a vessel taking on water 51 miles south of Pascagoula, Mississippi, Sunday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard District Eight received an emergency position-indicating radio beacon at approximately 12 a.m. with a location 51 miles south of Pascagoula. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a report of a 75-foot shrimping vessel taking on water at the same position.

Watchstanders from both command centers verified the EPIRB and report were for the same vessel. An Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew, a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew and a Coast Guard Station Pascagoula 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boatcrew were launched to assist.

The MH-60 aircrew arrived on scene and deployed the first dewatering pump. The HC-144 aircrew arrived on scene and deployed a secondary dewatering pump.  The boatcrew arrived on scene and assisted the vessel with setting up the dewatering pump to expel water while the vessel returned back to port.

The vessel safely returned to Bayou La Batre, Alabama.

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-USCG-