Boat assisted on the Sundays River and medical evacuation from container vessel

At 10h59 on Friday, the 8th of May, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from 2 local men on a 30-foot boat on the Sundays River reporting motor failure. They had put out their anchor, which was not holding, and reported being dragged and were concerned due to rising waters from flooding on the Sundays River.

At the time, our NSRI crew were engaged in the multi-agency mass rescue operation at Gamtoos, with most of NSRI Gqeberha's resources deployed there.

Two NSRI crew diverted to our satellite rescue station at Noordhoek and towed the NSRI rescue craft Eddie Beaumont II from that NSRI station to the Sundays River Angling Club to be launched to assist.

On arrival at the Angling Club, we got visuals of the casualty boat, and it was found that the 2 men, both wearing life-jackets, were safe, after drifting to a jetty on the Sundays River, but their boat was stuck on a submerged tree stump.

The rescue craft was launched and on reaching them a towline was established and we were able to get their boat safely off the tree stump where efforts were made by the men to re-start their motors.

Still experiencing motor failure, we towed them downriver to a safe mooring, and no further assistance was required.

Earlier, on Thursday afternoon, 7 May, NSRI Gqeberha were activated, in cooperation with NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) and MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), to conduct a medical evacuation operation of an injured seafarer, a 58-year-old Ukrainian man, from a container motor vessel in Algoa Bay, offshore of Cannon Rocks.

NSRI evaluated the sea conditions and deemed it unsafe to conduct the operation in storm seas.

A WC Government Health EMS duty doctor maintained communications with the ship's medical crew during the night, with the patient reportedly in a stable condition. He had fallen down a flight of stairs, suffering an injury, and he was being cared for by the ship's medical crew with medical advice from the EMS duty doctor.

On Friday, sea conditions were re-evaluated, and the NSRI rescue craft Bay Guardian was launched with the NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew. On arrival at the vessel, an NSRI MEX crewman was transferred aboard and found the patient in a stable condition, but sea conditions remained unfavourable for executing a technical high-angle transfer from the ship to our rescue craft. We recovered our MEX crewman, intending to wait for more favourable sea conditions, and returned to base.

On Saturday, at 11h30, the NSRI rescue craft Bay Guardian was launched, accompanied by an EC Government Health EMS rescue paramedic and 2 NSRI MEX crewmen.

On arrival at the motor vessel, our 2 NSRI MEX crewmen were transferred aboard, and, in a technical high-angle operation, the injured man, secured in personal protective gear, was transferred onto the NSRI rescue craft.

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

At hospital, in the care of doctors and nurses, the patient is expected to make a full recovery.

NSRI commends the ship's master and crew, the ship's medical crew, and Telkom Maritime Radio Services, which facilitated communications throughout the operation.

The operation was completed at 13h04.

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, the ships Master and crew and the shipping agent, assisted MRCC in the logistics and coordination of the maritime medical evacuation operation.