Two medical evacuations for NSRI Gqeberha

NSRI Gqeberha performed two medical evacuations this past weekend, one from a ship on Friday and a second from a fishing trawler on Sunday.

At 11h43 Friday, 13 February, NSRI Gqeberha were alerted by TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control reporting a request from MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) to conduct a medical evacuation operation, from a bulk carrier motor vessel. of a Filipino male crewman, aged 50, suffering a medical complaint.

At that stage the motor vessel was approximately 21 nautical miles South of Port Alfred and 50 nautical miles East of the Port of Port Elizabeth and heading towards Gqeberha.

At 14h30, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Rescue 6 Alpha with NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew and two EC Government Health EMS rescue paramedics.

We rendezvoused with the motor vessel approximately 8 nautical miles offshore of Gqeberha where one NSRI MEX technician and one EMS rescue paramedic boarded the vessel to assess the patient in cooperation with the ships medical crew.

The patient, in a serious but stable condition, was transferred onto our NSRI rescue craft, in safety gear and high angle safety lines, without incident.

In the care of the EMS paramedics the patient was brought to our NSRI Gqeberha station 6 rescue base and transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition by EMS ambulance.

In the care of doctors and nurses the patient is expected to make a full recovery.

The operation completed at 16h23.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control, TNPA Port Health, Police Sea Borderline Control, WC Government Health EMS Metro Control and an EMS duty doctor, EC Government Health EMS, and the ship agent, assisted MRCC in the logistics and coordination of the maritime medical evacuation operation.

At 19h01, Saturday, 14 February, NSRI Gqeberha were alerted to prepare for the medical evacuation operation of a 62 year old Japanese crewman, suffering a medical condition, from a Japanese 56 meter fishing trawler, that was heading towards the Port of Port Elizabeth from deep sea.

At that stage the vessel was 30 nautical miles South East of Gqeberha.

On Sunday morning, at 05h58, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Rescue 6 Alpha with NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew.

We rendezvoused with the fishing trawler 3 nautical miles offshore of Gqeberha, in Algoa Bay, where an NSRI medic boarded the vessel and the patient, in a stable condition, was transferred onto our NSRI rescue craft, in safety gear and high angle safety lines, without incident.

In the care of the NSRI medic the patient was brought to our NSRI Gqeberha station 6 rescue base and transported to hospital in a stable condition by the ships agent.

The patient is expected to make a full recovery.

The operation completed at 06h47.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control, TNPA Port Health, Police Sea Borderline Control, WC Government Health EMS Metro Control and an EMS duty doctor, EC Government Health EMS, and the ship agent, assisted MRCC in the logistics and coordination of the maritime medical evacuation operation.