Seafarer Medically Evacuated from Container Vessel off Durban

At 17h35 on Friday, 2 January, NSRI Durban duty crew were alerted by MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) to prepare for a medical evacuation operation expected to take place at approximately 14h00 on Sunday afternoon. The operation involved a 24-year-old Indian male seafarer suffering a medical complaint onboard a container motor vessel approaching Durban from Mozambique.

Clifford Ireland, NSRI Durban Duty Coxswain, said:

Red Line Response ambulance services were alerted.

With NSRI Durban duty controllers receiving confirmation from MRCC, and following communications from Shipmed medical services confirming the patient was in stable condition, the medical evacuation operation was approved to proceed on Sunday.

Following discussions with the ship’s agent on Saturday, the vessel provided an updated ETA of 12h00 offshore of the Port of Durban on Sunday, 4 January.

At 10h55 on Sunday morning, the NSRI Durban rescue craft Alick Rennie was launched, accompanied by a Red Line Response rescue paramedic and NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew.

The rescue craft rendezvoused with the container motor vessel approximately six nautical miles east of the Port of Durban South breakwater.

An NSRI MEX crewman and the Red Line paramedic were transferred onto the container motor vessel. In cooperation with the ship’s medical crew, and after the patient was assessed by the Red Line paramedic, the patient was secured with safety lines and personal protective equipment and transferred onto the NSRI rescue craft.

In the care of the Red Line paramedic, the patient was transported to the NSRI Durban Station 5 rescue base and then taken to the hospital by Red Line Response ambulance in a stable condition for further medical care, where he is recovering.

NSRI Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), NSRI Durban duty controllers, Red Line Response duty controllers, Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) Port of Durban Port Control, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, TNPA Port Health, Shipmed medical services, SAPS Sea Borderline Control, and the ship’s agent assisted MRCC in the logistics and coordination of the medical evacuation operation.

The medical evacuation operation was completed at 12h50.