Durban – Patient evacuation off a crude oil tanker:

Andre Fletcher, NSRI Durban station commander, said:At 04h30, Tuesday, 06th August, NSRI Durban duty crew, accompanied by ER24 rescue paramedics, launched the sea rescue craft Alick Rennie to rendezvous with a Crude Oil tanker, approaching off-shore of the Port of Durban, to patient evacuate a Russian crewman, age 60, on the ship reported to be suffering a medical emergency.NSRI were alerted just before midnight by TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) to prepare for the operation on the Crude Oil tankers arrival off-shore of Durban at 04h30.On arrival on the scene an NSRI rescue swimmer and an ER24 rescue paramedic were transferred onto the ship and the patient was stabilised and secured into a Stokes basket stretcher and in a technical rescue operation using the ships crane the patient was transferred (hoisted) onto the sea rescue craft. The ER24 rescue paramedic was hoisted onto the sea rescue craft from the ship attached to the Stokes basket stretcher to ensure additional patient safety.Once onboard the sea rescue craft the patient, in the care of the ER24 paramedics, was brought into the Port of Durban to the NSRI Durban Station 5 Sea Rescue base and he has been transported to hospital by ER24 ambulance in a serious but stable condition for further medical care.The operation was completed at 07h30.