NSRI – Simons Town – An emergency maritime medical evacuation operation

Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simons Town station commander, said: At 20h43, Wednesday, 11 November, NSRI Simons Town duty crew were activated to respond to the NSRI Simons Town station 10 rescue base to prepare to launch rescue craft on an emergency maritime medical evacuation operation for an ill fisherman.

Earlier, at 18h45, NSRI Simons Town were alerted by the shore controller of the 23 meter Hout Bay fishing vessel reporting their fisherman onboard the vessel to be suffering a medical condition.

At that stage they were 23 nautical miles South of Cape Point.

MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) and a WC Government Health EMS duty doctor, assisted by Telkom Maritime Radio Services and EMS Metro Control, monitored the 44 year old local fisherman in communications with the fishing vessel with the arrangements made for the vessel to head towards Hout Bay Harbour where an EMS ambulance would meet them.

The patient was in a stable condition.

Later, in ongoing communications, the medical condition of the patient deteriorated.

Medical advice was communicated to the ships medical crew by the EMS duty doctor.

In cooperation with the fishing vessel shore controller, the skipper of the fishing vessel, NSRI Simons Town, MRCC, Telkom Maritime Radio Services and the EMS duty doctor, the decision was taken to divert the fishing vessel towards Simons Town.

NSRI Simons Town crew were activated to launch rescue craft to intercept the fishing vessel offshore of Buffels Bay.

The NSRI rescue craft Donna Nicholas and Jack&Irene were launched, accompanied by CMR (Cape Medical Response) paramedics.

A CMR ambulance was dispatched to stand-by at our NSRI Simons Town rescue base.

We rendezvoused with the fishing offshore of Buffels Bay where CMR paramedics were transferred onto the vessel assisting the ships medical crew to medically stabilise the ill fisherman.

The patient, in a serious but stable condition, was secured into a Stokes basket stretcher and hye was transferred onto our rescue craft, followed by the paramedics.

In the care of the CMR paramedics the patient was brought to our NSRI Simons Town rescue base and he was transported to hospital by CMR ambulance.

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

The operation was completed at 00h28.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Simons Town duty controllers, the fishing company, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, Western Cape Government Health EMS Metro Control and the EMS duty doctor, and TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Table Bay Port Control, assisted MRCC in this successful emergency maritime medical evacuation operation.