PORT ANGELES — Coast Guard crew members from Station Port Angeles evacuated a 29-year-old Chinese man from a 665-foot commercial freighter, Great Fluency, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Sunday morning.
The man was reportedly exposed to phosphine gas and was safely transported to Olympic Medical Center for further medical attention.
At approximately 7:20 a.m., Coast Guard District 13 watchstanders received a notification from Great Fluency that a member of their crew had been exposed to phosphine gas, a common chemical aboard vessels of this type.
Coast Guard crew members aboard a 45-foot Response Boat Medium launched from Station Port Angeles at 8:07 a.m. and arrived on scene at 8:45 a.m.
The man was reportedly nauseous but able to climb down a Jacob’s ladder without assistance.
The man was transferred to emergency medical technicians standing by at Station Port Angeles, who then transported him to Olympic Medical Center for further medical attention.
