A 32-year old crewman who was in a bulk carrier, sustained serious injuries while he was working on the ship and was immediately rushed to the hospital on Thursday evening.
National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson, Craig Lambinon said some minutes to 7pm on Thursday, information reached the NSRI Durban duty crew and Netcare 911 emergency team about the incident and a need for urgent medical assistance from the master of a bulk carrier motor vessel.
“The crewman, from the Maldives, suffered serious injury during routine work on the ship,” he said.
NSRI Durban duty coxswain, Clifford Ireland said:
“We rendezvoused with the vessel 4 nautical miles off-shore of the Port of Durban breakwater. The ship’s crew reported that they had the patient in their medical room providing medical care to stabilise the patient. On arrival at the scene in rough sea conditions with a 3-meter swell running, a Netcare 911 rescue paramedic and a NSRI rescue swimmer were transferred onto the vessel and they took over care of the patient from the ship’s medical crew.”
Ireland said the patient first stabilised before he was put on a Stokes basked stretcher.
“He was transferred onto our sea rescue craft followed by the two rescue personnel. In the care of the rescue paramedics, the patient was brought to our NSRI Durban sea rescue station and he has been transported to hospital by Netcare 911 ambulance for further medical care,” he said.
Ireland thanked everyone involved in the operation.
