NSRI St Francis Bay rescued an injured, 60 year-old, local fisherman, who was also a crewman, from a fishing trawler offshore of St Francis on 15 April.
The man had hurt himself when he fell down the stairs on the trawler.
The vessel was en route to St Francis Bay and requested urgent medical assistance from NSRI. The NSRI volunteer duty crew was activated at 6.12 am and responded by launching its rescue craft, Spirit of St Francis III, with NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew, an NSRI rescue paramedic, and a Gardmed paramedic on board.
The rescue team met up with the fishing trawler in moderate sea conditions, and the NSRI rescue paramedic was transferred onboard. The patient was stabilised, and then he was carefully transferred onto the rescue craft and brought to the NSRI rescue base.
From the base, he was transported to the hospital by Gardmed ambulance in a stable condition. The patient is expected to make a full recovery.
NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI St Francis Bay duty controllers, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of St Francis Port Control, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, Sea Harvest Fishing Company shore controllers, Gardmed ambulance services control, and TNPA Port Health assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) assisted with the coordination and logistics of the medical evacuation operation.
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