On Tuesday, 10 January, at 04.10am, the NSRI Table Bay duty crew and the Western Cape Government Health EMS rescue squad were activated to evacuate an injured passenger from a cruise ship returning to Table Bay.
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The cruise vessel had departed from the Port of Table Bay earlier. An 80-year-old Cape Town female passenger reportedly suffered a fall while onboard, sustaining serious injuries while off-shore north of Saldanha Bay.
She was attended to and stabilised by the ship’s medical team.
MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) was alerted by the cruise liner. An EMS duty doctor evaluated the patient’s condition in cooperation with the ship’s doctor, and it was decided that immediate evacuation to the hospital was necessary.
Just after midnight, MRCC requested NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) place NSRI Table Bay and NSRI Mykonos duty crews on alert while Metro EMS Control placed EMS rescue paramedics on alert.
In correspondence with the ship’s agent, it was decided for the vessel to return to Table Bay.
NSRI Table Bay duty crew, aboard the NSRI rescue craft Rescue 3, accompanied by 2 EMS rescue paramedics, rendezvoused with the vessel at an anchorage off-shore of Green Point.
The patient was secured into a Stokes basket stretcher and transferred onto the NSRI rescue craft in the care of the EMS rescue paramedics. She was brought to our NSRI Table Bay rescue station and taken to the hospital by EMS ambulance with a family member. Her condition was serious but stable.
The cooperation and care of all involved in the maritime medical emergency are commended.
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Picture: NSRI/Facebook