EASTERN CAPE – A 52-year-old seafarer was safely evacuated from a cargo vessel 20 nautical miles off the coast of Gqeberha, in a multi-agency maritime rescue operation led by the National Sea Rescue Institite (NSRI) on Saturday 22 August.

Simon Williams, NSRI Gqeberha deputy station commander, said the rescue craft Bay Guardian was launched at 16:11, accompanied by NSRI Maritime Extrication (MEX) crew and Eastern Cape Government Health EMS rescue paramedics, to rendezvous with a cargo motor vessel after reporting a medical emergency offshore of Plettenberg Bay.

The vessel – a 399-metre motor vessel – was diverted back towards the Port of Port Elizabeth at the request of NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers and the NSRI Emergency Operations Centre, working in cooperation with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control, and the ship’s agent.

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Many hands

While the vessel made its way back towards port, a Western Cape Government Health EMS duty doctor, assisted by EMS Metro Control, remotely evaluated the seafarer and provided medical advice to the ship’s medical crew.

The rescue craft rendezvoused with the vessel 20 nautical miles south-east of Gqeberha, in challenging conditions of two-to-three-metre sea swells and 25-to-30-knot west-south-westerly winds.

Two NSRI MEX crew were transferred onto the vessel. The patient, in a stable condition, was secured into personal protective gear and safety lines before being transferred onto the rescue craft, followed by the rescue crew.

In the care of EMS paramedics, the seafarer was taken to the NSRI Gqeberha Station 6 rescue base and then transported to hospital by an EMS ambulance, where he is recovering in the care of doctors and nurses.

The operation was completed at 20:12.

Williams said the successful evacuation was made possible through the coordinated efforts of the NSRI EOC, NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, TNPA Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control, TNPA Port Health, Western Cape Government Health EMS Metro Control, an EMS duty doctor, EC Government Health EMS Metro Control, Police Sea Borderline Control, and the shipping agents – all assisting the MRCC in the logistics and coordination of the operation.

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