Norman Rautenbach, NSRI Richards Bay deputy station commander, said: At 00h45, Saturday, 2 March, NSRI Richards Bay duty crew were activated following reports from MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) of a medical emergency of a local adult female onboard a cruise liner.
After ships medics evaluated the female's medical condition, and it was deemed necessary to get her to a hospital, the cruise liner had turned around at Cape Vidal and was headed towards Richards Bay.
Our duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Ocean Guardian, accompanied by a Netcare 911 rescue paramedic, and rendezvoused with the cruise liner 2 nautical miles off-shore of the Port of Richards Bay.
In favourable seas the patient was transferred onto our rescue craft, accompanied by her husband, and in the care of the Netcare 911 paramedic the patient was brought to our NSRI station 19 rescue base.
The patient was transported to hospital by Netcare 911 ambulance in a stable condition for further medical care.
Then on Saturday, 2 March, NSRI Richards Bay duty crew were alerted to prepare to medically evacuate an injured crewman off a bulk carrier motor vessel later during the morning.
At 11h00 we launched the NSRI Richards Bay rescue craft Spirit of Richards Bay and rendezvoused with the motor vessel 11 nautical miles off-shore.
The adult Filipino crewman was transferred onto our rescue craft and he was brought to our NSRI station 19 Richards Bay base where a ships agent transported the man to a doctor for medical treatment.
In these operations - 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, Police Sea Borderline Control, Netcare 911 duty controllers and Telkom Maritime Radio Services, in cooperation with the ship agents, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), in the logistics and coordination of the patient evacuation operations.
A fisherman, on a fishing sea-kayak, appeared to be in difficulty at Cape Point.
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