Crew member of oil tanker evacuated after taking ill
The NSRI medically evacuated a 23-year-old crewman of an oil tanker after falling ill.
Image: File
A 23-year-old crewman of an oil tanker offshore South of Agulhas was medically evacuated after falling ill on Sunday.
The tanker was en route to Durban when the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) received the emergency call.
NSRI Table Bay station commander, Quentin Botha, said they were alerted by the NSRI Emergency Operations Centre following the request from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to prepare for the evacuation.
"A motor vessel oil tanker was en route towards Durban and they were offshore South of Agulhas.
"The vessel had turned around following communications with a Western Cape Government Health EMS duty doctor to return to Table Bay for the medical evacuation operation to have the 23-year-old male crewman patient, with an illness, transported to hospital.
"At 00:10am, Sunday, April 19, our NSRI rescue craft DHL Deliverer was launched, accompanied by two Western Cape Government Health EMS rescue paramedics and NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew.
"We rendezvoused with the motor vessel 15 nautical miles offshore, in 2 to 3 metre swells and a 20 knot North Westerly wind.
"Our NSRI MEX crewman was transferred onboard the vessel and in cooperation with the ships medical crew the patient, in a stable condition - walking wounded - was transferred onto our rescue vessel and taken into the care of the EMS rescue paramedics.
"The patient was brought to our NSRI Table Bay station 3 rescue base and transported to hospital by ambulance in a stable condition.
"The patient is expected to make a full recovery. The operation completed at 3:15am," Botha said.