Coast Guard hoists two people from grounded vessel in Barnegat Inlet

U.S. Coast Guard personnel rescued two people from a grounded fishing vessel in the Barnegat Inlet late Wednesday night, officials said.

According to a Coast Guard release, the 53-foot fishing vessel “Bay of Isle” ran aground at the inlet’s jetty and began taking on water.

A passenger aboard the grounded vessel contacted the Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light to request assistance.

Due to where the vessel grounded, Coast Guard personnel determined that a rescue boat from the nearby station would not be able to reach and evacuate the passengers.

That’s when an aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter launched from Air Station Atlantic City to perform the rescue.

The crew hoisted both boat occupants and transported them to the air station. There were no injuries.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the Barnegat Inlet, which it characterizes as “one of the most dangerous” inlets on the East Coast, typically requires dredging — deepening the channel by removing sediment — twice a year to ensure safe navigation for commercial, charter and recreational vessels.

The inlet connects the Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in Ocean County.