Sunday, 14 September. Medical evacuation operations at sea - Gqeberha and Durban and a patient assisted on a yacht at Durban Marina:

GQEBERHA: Jonathan Tufts, NSRI Gqeberha deputy station commander, said: on Friday, 12 September, at around 22h30, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew were placed on alert to prepare for a medical evacuation operation, on Saturday morning, for a 29 year old Filipino male seafarer suffering an injury on a motor vessel heading towards Gqeberha from deep sea.

The ships medical crew were in communications with a WC Government Health EMS duty doctor, coordinated by MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) and by EC and WC EMS Metro Control, in cooperation with Telkom Maritime Radio Services.

The patient was reported to be in a stable condition.

EC Government Health EMS dispatched an EMS ambulance to stand-by at the NSRI Gqeberha station 6 rescue base.

At 06h45, Saturday, 13 September, NSRI Gqeberha launched the NSRI rescue craft Bay Guardian, accompanied by NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew.

We rendezvoused with the motor vessel 20 nautical miles offshore of the Port of Port Elizabeth.

2 NSRI MEX crew boarded the vessel and secured the patient into a safety harness, safety lines and protective gear while setting up high angle extrication. Using the ships combination ladder the patient was transferred safely onto the NSRI rescue craft.

The patient was brought to our NSRI rescue base and he was transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition where he is recovering in the care of doctors and nurses.

Simon Williams, NSRI Gqeberha duty coxswain, said:

On Tuesday evening, 9 September, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew were placed on alert to prepare for a medical evacuation operation at sea for a 39 year old Indian male seafarer suffering a medical condition - scheduled to be offshore of Gqeberha on Thursday, 11 September, early evening.

The vessel, at that stage, was 800 nautical miles from Cape Recife, West of Cape Town, and heading towards Gqeberha.

The ships medical crew were in communications with a WC Government Health EMS duty doctor, coordinated by MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) and by EC and WC EMS Metro Control, in cooperation with Telkom Maritime Radio Services.

The patient was reported to be in a stable condition.

At 16h14, Thursday, 11 September, NSRI Gqeberha launched the NSRI rescue craft Bay Guardian, accompanied by an EC Government Health EMS rescue paramedic and NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew.

We rendezvoused with the motor vessel 10 nautical miles offshore of Cape Recife where 2 NSRI MEX crew and the EMS rescue paramedic were transferred onto the vessel.

The patient was secured into a safety harness, safety lines and protective gear while setting up high angle extrication and the patient was transferred safely onto the NSRI rescue craft.

The patient was brought to our NSRI rescue base, in the care of the EMS paramedic, and he was transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition where he is recovering in the care of doctors and nurses.

In both operations ... NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers, NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control, Port Health Authorities, A WC Government Health EMS duty doctor, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, EC Government Health EMS Metro Control and Police Sea Borderline Control, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), in the logistics and coordination of this medical evacuation operation.

DURBAN:

Etienne van Zyl, NSRI Durban station commander, said:

On Thursday, 11 September, at 16h03, NSRI Durban duty crew were activated following reports from the ski-boat club of a 73 year old local man suffering a medical condition on the sailing yacht that he lives on, at a mooring at the Durban Marina, in the Port of Durban.

NSRI crew and NSRI medics responded.

Netcare 911 ambulance services were activated and our NSRI rescue vehicle was dispatched.

An NSRI medic, using his private vehicle, reached the marina and initiated medical care to the man while NSRI medics and Netcare 911 paramedics were transported to the scene onboard a private ski-boat.

The patient was stabilised and transferred onto the private ski-boat.

In the care of the Netcare 911 paramedic the patient was brought to where a Netcare 911 ambulance was standing-by and he was transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition where he is recovering in the care of doctors and nurses.

The assistance of the ski-boat club and the private ski-boat skipper and crew is commended.

On Tuesday, 2 September, NSRI Durban duty crew were placed on alert by MRCC, at 22h22, to prepare for a medical evacuation operation, of a 31 year old South Korean male seafarer, suffering an injury onboard a motor tanker.

The motor tanker was at that stage 600 nautical miles from the Port of Durban and expected offshore of Durban on Thursday afternoon, 4 September.

The ships medical crew were in communications with a WC Government Health EMS duty doctor, coordinated by MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) and WC EMS Metro Control, in cooperation with Telkom Maritime Radio Services.

At 16h30, Thursday, 4 September, the NSRI rescue craft Alick Rennie, accompanied by NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew and a Red Line Response rescue paramedic, was launched and we rendezvoused with the motor tanker 6 nautical miles offshore of the Port of Durban.

An NSRI MEX crewman and the Red Line Response rescue paramedic were transferred onto the motor tanker.

The patient, in a stable condition, secured into a safety harness, safety lines and protective gear was transferred onto our NSRI rescue craft using the ships pilot ladder.

In the care of the Red Line Response paramedic the patient was brought to our NSRI Durban station 5 rescue base and transported to hospital by a Red Line Response ambulance where he is recovering in the care of doctors and nurses.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Durban duty controllers, WC Government Health EMS, Red Line Response ambulance services, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Durban Port Control, the Port Health Authority, Police Sea Borderline Control and Telkom Maritime Radio Services assisted MRCC in the logistics and coordination of the medical evacuation operation.