NSRI Richards Bay Executes Night Time Medical Evacuation

NSRI Richards Bay duty crew were activated by TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Richards Bay Port Control to prepare for the medical evacuation of a 33 year old Egyptian crewman, suffering a medical complaint, from a motor vessel approaching Richards Bay – on the request of MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre).

The NSRI rescue craft Ocean Guardian, accompanied by an EC Government Health EMS rescue paramedic who is also an NSRI Richards Bay crewman, was launched at 21h00.

Medcare 24 ambulance services dispatched an ambulance to stand-by at our NSRI rescue base.

We rendezvoused with the vessel 5 nautical miles off-shore.

An NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crewman and our rescue paramedic were transferred onboard where the patient, in the care of the ships medical crew, was assessed and secured into a Stokes basket stretcher.

The patient was transferred onto our rescue craft and in the care of the rescue paramedic he was brought to our NSRI station 19 rescue base.

The patient was transferred to hospital by Medcare 24 ambulance in the care of paramedics in a stable condition for further care and he is expected to fully recover.

Our local Mission to Seafarers, Chaplin Mark Classen, who regularly assist NSRI with foreign logistics support, and his wife, who speaks Arabic (having spent time in the Arabian region), assisted the patient with communications and logistics, and much to the delight of the patient, to assist to establish contact with the patients family members abroad.

NSRI Richards Bay duty controllers, NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Richards Bay Port Control, a WC Government Health EMS duty doctor, Mission to Seafarers and Telkom Maritime Radio Services, in cooperation with the ship agent, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), in the logistics and coordination of the medical evacuation operation.