Crewman casualty evacuated off ship

At 06h00 (Thursday, 03 October) NSRI East London crew were activated following a request for medical assistance from the 190 meter bulk carrier YASA EMIRHAN, sailing from Gabon to Singapore, reporting a 24 year old Turkish crewman onboard suspected to have suffered a heart attack.At 00h40 (Thursday, 03 October) the ship, sailing at deep sea, had sent the request for medical assistance to MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre). Following telephonic medical evaluation by a Government Health EMS duty doctor the ship was instructed to set sail towards the nearest port, East London, and NSRI East London were placed on alert.Our NSRI East London volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched our SPIRIT OF LOTTO at 07h00, accompanied by an EC Government Health EMS paramedic, and rendezvoused with the ship 8 nautical miles off-shore of East London in calm seas with 2.5 meter swells and a 10 knot South Westerly wind.

On arrival on-scene the EMS paramedic and an NSRI rescuer were put aboard the ship and they stabilized the patient, suffering from a suspected heart condition, who was then transferred onto our sea rescue craft and brought to the Port of East London where he was handed into the care of an EMS crew and transported, by EMS ambulance, to St Dominiques hospital in a stable condition for further evaluation and treatment.