The “Maersk Neston” container ship (SNSM photo)
MARIGOT–French-side sea rescue service SNSM carried out a medical evacuation from a container ship on Friday, November 8, following a call from the regional surveillance centre CROSS.
CROSS specified that it was a question of recovering a sick crew member from a container ship that was diverting towards the French waters of St. Martin. With a draft of more than 12 metres, the ship could not get too close to the island. A GPS appointment was given to SNSM for a 5:00pm rendezvous five nautical miles from the West coast of the Lowlands.
SNSM’s semi-rigid inflatable Rescue Star departed Marina Fort Louis at 4:20pm and 15 minutes later was on site, next to the giant ship Maersk Neston, a 210-metre-long (700-foot-long) container ship of almost 35,000 tons.
The ship was on its way to Colombia from southern Spain when one of the ship’s crew members got sick with breathing difficulties. The ship’s captain did not want to take the risk of his health deteriorating miles from any land; hence the decision, after a conference call with CROSS and a doctor, to land him in St. Martin.
The Rescue Star approached the Maersk Neston, which was moving at 24 knots, from the starboard side where a ladder had been lowered vertically to allow the patient to descend. Once the patient was on board, the Rescue Star began to leave, but was called back to pick up two suitcases of luggage.
Finally, the Rescue Star departed for Marigot and the Maersk Neston resumed its journey to Colombia.
At 5:20 pm, at the ferry dock the patient was transferred to a medical team for treatment at the Marigot Hospital.
The sick crew member descends the ladder to board SNSM’s “Rescue Star”. (SNSM photo)
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/92449-snsm-evacuates-sick-crew-member-from-container-ship
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