Justin Erasmus, NSRI Port Elizabeth deputy station commander, said; “At 13h05 on Friday 15 June 2012, NSRI Port Elizabeth volunteer sea rescue duty crew were placed on alert to be ready for a pending call-out activation following a request for medical assistance from the 320 meter oil tanker Saiq, sailing from Angola to Mauritius, reporting their 25 year old 2nd Officer, Akshan Kapur, from India, suffering severe abdominal pain.
“NSRI Port Elizabeth were placed on alert by the Transnet National Ports Authority following a request for a medical sea rescue extrication from MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) who, after monitoring of the patients condition by the Government Health Emergency Medical Services (EMS) duty doctor, activated the casualty extrication operation for the patient to be removed from the ship and transported to the nearest appropriate hospital as soon as possible.
“Sea conditions were calm with no wind.
“At 14h50 our NSRI Port Elizabeth volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched our NSRI sea rescue craft Spirit of Toft and responded to rendezvous with the ship 8 nautical miles off-shore of Cape Recife (13 nautical miles from our sea rescue base).
“On arrival on-scene NSRI medics were put aboard the ship and the patient was stabilized and transferred onto our sea rescue boat and brought safely to our sea rescue base and he was then transferred into a Guardmed private ambulance services ambulance and transported to hospital in a stable condition for further treatment.
“The operation was completed by 16h00.”
Spirit of Toft
