Teen medically evacuated from cruise liner in Richards Bay

NSRI Richards Bay Station 19 duty crew led a rescue in the early hours of Tuesday morning following a request to medically evacuate an 18-year-old passenger from a cruise ship heading towards Richards Bay.

The liner had departed from Durban earlier and was heading towards Mozambique.

When it had reached the vicinity of Tugela River Mouth, a decision was taken to transport the patient to hospital as soon as possible after having suffered an injury on board the vessel.

The NSRI Richards Bay rescue craft Ocean Guardian was launched and rendezvoused with the vessel 7 nautical miles offshore of the Port of Richards Bay in between two to three meter swells and a 40 knot gusting northeasterly wind.

NSRI Richards Bay deputy station commander Norman Rautenbach said the vessel manoeuvred to provide a lee from the wind for access to the port hatch.

”An NSRI maritime extrication crewman was transferred onto the vessel and assisted the teenager, who is believed to be from Johannesburg, onto our rescue craft,” said Rautenbach.

”In the care of NSRI medics and accompanied by a member of his travel group, [the patient] was brought to our NSRI Station 19 rescue base where we were met by a Netcare 911 ambulance, and the patient was transported to hospital in a stable condition.

”NSRI Richards Bay duty controllers, NSRI Emergency Operations Centre, Transnet National Ports Authority Port of Richards Bay Port

Control, a WC Government Health EMS duty doctor, Netcare 911 duty controllers and Telkom Maritime Radio Services, in co-operation with the ship agent, assisted Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in the logistics and co-ordination of the medical evacuation operation,’ ‘he said.

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