Incidents around the coastline this past week

Coastal Incidents This Week: Multiple Medical Evacuations and Drowning Tragedies in Richards Bay, Durban, and Gqeberha

RICHARDS BAY:

Norman Rautenbach, NSRI Richards Bay deputy station commander, said:

On Monday, 11 November, at 15h18, NSRI Richards Bay duty crew responded to the White Umfolozi River, Umkhanyakude District, at a remote area, to assist the SA Police Services, Police K9 Search and Rescue and IPSS Search and Rescue, where a 38 year old local man found himself stranded on an island on the river after reportedly trying to cross the river while returning from a wedding on Sunday night.

On arrival on the scene we found that local public members had managed to help the man across the river and they are commended for their assistance.

The man was treated by paramedics for dehydration and he required no further assistance.

We are appealing to the public not to try to cross through flooded rivers.

On Tuesday, 12 November, at 16h06, NSRI Richards Bay prepared the NSRI rescue craft Ocean Guardian, for a medical evacuation operation of a 44 year old Filipino sailor, suffering a medical complaint, on a bulk carrier motor vessel.

NSRI had been alerted to the pending operation on Monday afternoon.

Our NSRI Richards Bay rescue craft launched at 19h00 on Tuesday and rendezvoused with the vessel at anchorage offshore of the Port of Richards Bay.

The patient was transferred onto the rescue craft and in a stable condition, in the care of paramedics, he was brought to our NSRI Richards Bay station 19 rescue base and transported to hospital for further care by ambulance.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Richards Bay duty controllers, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Richards Bay Port Control, the SA Police Services - SAPS Sea Borderline Control, KZN Government Health EMS duty controllers, TNPA Port of Richards Bay Health authorities, WC Government Health EMS metro control and an EMS duty doctor, Telkom Maritime Radio Services and the ships agent, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) in the logistics and the coordination of this medical evacuation operation.

DURBAN:

Clifford Ireland, NSRI Durban duty coxswain, said:

On Monday, 11 November, at 17h18, NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) received a request from the MRCC to prepare for the medical evacuation of a 50 year old Filipino male from a bulk carrier motor vessel.

The man had reportedly suffered a fall, onboard the vessel, on the 7th of November, suffering injuries, and he was in the care of the ships medical crew.

The vessel was scheduled to be offshore of the Port of Durban on 12 November at around 07h00.

NSRI Durban station 5 was alerted and preparations were made for a medical evacuation to be undertaken on Tuesday morning.

The NSRI rescue vessel, Alick Rennie, was put to sea at 06h00, Tuesday, 12 November, and rendezvoused with the motor vessel approximately 3 nautical miles offshore of the Port of Durban.

In calm sea conditions a rescue paramedic from Red Line ambulance services and two NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew were transferred onboard the vessel.

After assessment by the rescue paramedic it was determined that the casualty would be evacuated secured into a Stokes basket stretcher by high angle technical rope extrication.

The casualty was carefully lowered onto the deck of the rescue craft Alick Rennie and after recovering the paramedic and the NSRI MEX crew, our rescue craft returned to the Port of Durban at 07h45 where the patient was handed over to a Red Line ambulance and transport to hospital in a stable condition.

NSRI would like to extend their thanks to Red Line ambulance services who provided the paramedic services free of charge to assist with patient care during the evacuation.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Durban duty controllers, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Durban Port Control, the SA Police Services - SAPS Sea Borderline Control, Red Line ambulance services duty controllers, TNPA Port of Durban Health authorities, WC Government Health EMS metro control and an EMS duty doctor, Telkom Maritime Radio Services and the ships agent, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) in the logistics and the coordination of this medical evacuation operation.

GQEBERHA:

Sean Lunnon, NSRI Gqeberha duty coxswain, said:

On Thursday, 14 November, at 15h18, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew were activated by TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control following an urgent request for a medical evacuation of a local fisherman, age 34, suffering a medical condition, off a fishing trawler that was headed towards Gqeberha.

The NSRI rescue craft Rescue 6 Alpha was launched.

We rendezvoused with the vessel in Algoa Bay, at the Bell Buoy, and the patient, in a serious but stable condition, was transferred onto our rescue craft, secured into a safety harness, and brought to our NSRI Gqeberha station 6 rescue base where he was transported to a hospital by an EMS ambulance for further medical care.

The swift response is commended.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control, the SA Police Services - SAPS Sea Borderline Control, EC Government Health EMS duty controllers, TNPA Port of Durban Health authorities, WC Government Health EMS metro control and a duty doctor, Telkom Maritime Radio Services and the ships agent, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) in the logistics and the coordination of this medical evacuation operation.