The NSRI Richards Bay rescue craft Ocean Guardian was launched and rendezvoused with the vessel seven nautical miles offshore of the Port of Richards Bay. Picture NSRI: (Station 19 Richards Bay) Facebook
Durban — A teenage boy had to be evacuated from a cruise ship heading towards Richards Bay, northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Tuesday.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Richards Bay station commander Norman Rautenbach said that at 1.33am, the NSRI Richards Bay duty crew was activated following a request to medically evacuate an 18-year-old boy from a cruise ship heading towards Richards Bay. The vessel was due to arrive offshore of Richards Bay at 2.30am.
NSRI Richards Bay duty controllers, NSRI Emergency Operations Centre, the 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 the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in the logistics and co-ordination of the medical evacuation operation.
Rautenbach explained that it appears the vessel, which departed Durban earlier, heading towards Mozambique, had reached the vicinity of the Tugela River Mouth. Following communications facilitated by the MRCC, between the ship doctor and the WC Government Health EMS duty doctor, it was recommended to transport the patient to hospital as soon as possible after the patient sustained an injury on-board.
“The NSRI Richards Bay rescue craft Ocean Guardian was launched and we rendezvoused with the vessel seven nautical miles offshore of the Port of Richards Bay in 2m to 3m swells and a 40-knot gusting north-easterly wind,” Rautenbach said.
He said the vessel manoeuvred to provide a lee from the wind for access to the port hatch.
“An NSRI MEX (maritime extrication) crewman was transferred onto the vessel and assisted the teenager, believed to be from Johannesburg, onto our rescue craft,” Rautenbach said.
“In the care of NSRI medics and accompanied by a member of his travel group, he was brought to our NSRI station 19 rescue base where we were met by a Netcare 911 ambulance.”
Rautenbach said the patient was taken to hospital by a Netcare 911 ambulance in stable condition.
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