NSRI Mossel Bay: A maritime medical evacuation operation

Brian Cloete, NSRI Mossel Bay station commander, said: At 13h46, Wednesday, 24 June, NSRI Mossel Bay duty crew were activated following a request from MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) to conduct a maritime medical evacuation operation for an injured 22 year old Indian male seafarer onboard a container motor vessel approaching Mossel Bay from deep sea.

Our duty crew and Relay ambulance services responded to our NSRI station 15 rescue base where our NSRI rescue craft JLT Rescuer was launched, accompanied by our NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew and a Relay rescue paramedic.

We rendezvoused with the vessel 2 nautical miles offshore of Mossel Bay where our 2 MEX crew and the Relay rescue paramedic were transferred onto the vessel.

The paramedic assisted the ships medical crew to stabilise the patient while our MEX crew established a technical extrication method.

The patient, medically stabilised and secured into a Bauman Bag stretcher, was transferred onto our rescue craft in a technical high angle operation, followed by the rescue crew.

In a serious but stable condition the patient was brought to our rescue base and transported to hospital by Relay ambulance.

In hospital the patient is recovering in the care of doctors and nurses.

NSRI commend the assistance of the ships Master and his crew during this technical rescue operation.

The operation completed at 19h04.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Mossel Bay duty controllers, WC Government Health EMS Metro Control, an EMS duty doctor, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Mossel Bay Harbour Master, TNPA Port Health, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, SA Police Services Sea Borderline Control, the ships master and crew and the ships agent, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) in the logistics and coordination of this successful emergency medical evacuation operation.