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Deep Sea Rescues

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Sean Lunnon, NSRI Gqeberha duty coxswain, said:

NSRI Gqeberha were alerted by MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), on Tuesday, 20 August, at mid afternoon, reporting 2 patients that had been injured on a motor vessel at sea and MRCC requested NSRI Gqeberha to prepare to perform a medical evacuation of the 2 men on Wednesday morning.

The motor vessel was deep sea and heading towards Gqeberha expected to arrive in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority), Western Cape and Eastern Cape Government Health EMS Metro Control, an EMS duty doctor, SA Police Services Sea Borderline Control and the ship agent, assisted MRCC in the logistics and the coordination of the medical evacuation operation.

Then at 06h00, on Wednesday, 21 August, NSRI Gqeberha launched the NSRI rescue craft Rescue 6 Alpha, accompanied by an EMS rescue paramedic and by our NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew, and we rendezvoused with the motor vessel 7 nautical miles offshore.

An NSRI MEX crewman was transferred onto the vessel where both patients were found to be in stable conditions – walking wounded – they were secured into harnesses and transferred onto our rescue craft without incident, into the care of the EMS rescue paramedic.

Our MEX crewman was transferred back onto our rescue craft and we returned to our NSRI Gqeberha station 6 rescue base.

The 2 patients, both Filipino seafarers, age 27 and age 53, were transported to hospital in stable conditions by EMS ambulance for further care.

On Thursday, 22 August, at 08h52, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew and EC Government Health EMS were activated following reports of CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) efforts being performed on a Russian adult male seafarer 30 nautical miles offshore of Cape Recife on a motor vessel.

MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) assisted by TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority), a WC Government Health EMS duty doctor and Telkom Maritime Radio Services, requested NSRI Gqeberha to respond, accompanied by EMS rescue paramedics, to rendezvous with the motor vessel that was heading towards Gqeberha while the ships medical crew continuing with CPR.

The effort was to respond to get paramedics to the motor vessel as soon as possible to assist with CPR.

While preparing to launch an NSRI rescue craft NSRI and EMS Metro Control were informed that the man had sadly been declared deceased by the ships medical crew after all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted.

Responding rescue resources were stood down and the motor vessel then docked in the Port of Port Elizabeth where SA Police Services Sea Borderline Control, EC Government Health EMS and TNPA Ports authorities attended at the vessel where the body of the man was taken into the care of Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.

Condolences are conveyed to the family and colleagues of the deceased man.

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