CG Holds Mass Rescue Exercise In New Orleans

Coast Guard Sector New Orleans partnered with 30 public and private organizations April 26 to conduct a mass rescue exercise on the Lower Mississippi River in New Orleans. The exercise emphasized the emergency response and search and rescue capabilities of participating agencies, along with communications among participating organizations, which included the Port of New Orleans, the City of New Orleans, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, Jefferson Parish and the paddlewheeler Creole Queen.

The exercise simulated a collision between a pair of passenger vessels on the Mississippi River. Activity centered on the ferry terminals at the foot of Canal Street on the east bank and at Algiers Point on the west bank. The exercise involved response helicopters, boats and road vehicles at both terminals. The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority operates a pair of passenger ferries between those terminals.

Capt. Gregory Callaghan, deputy sector commander of Sector New Orleans, said this type of exercise was not only beneficial but critical, considering how central the Mississippi River is to life and industry in New Orleans.

“The Coast Guard cannot respond to these types of incidents alone,” Callaghan said. “It takes a team of agencies working together to save lives and protect property. Today’s exercise is a testament of the strong partnerships we value here in the greater New Orleans area.”

The Coast Guard closed the river to navigation during the exercise, which lasted from about 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Caption for photo (click on photo for full image: The City of New Orleans, a New Orleans RTA ferry and a Coast Guard helicopter take part in a rescue exercise on the Mississippi River April 26. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)