Mark Dawson, NSRI Gqeberha duty coxswain, said: At 10h59, Friday, 8 May, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from 2 local men on a 30 foot boat on the Sundays River reporting motor mechanical failure – they had put out their anchor that was not holding and they reported to be dragging anchor adrift and concerned due to rising waters, from flooding, on Sundays River.
At the time our NSRI crew were engaged in the multi-agency mass rescue operation at Gamtoos with most of the NSRI Gqeberha resources engaged in that operation.
2 NSRI crew diverted to our NSRI Gqeberha satellite rescue station at Noordhoek and towed the NSRI rescue craft Eddie Beaumont II from that NSRI station to Sundays River Angling Club to be launched to assist.
On arrival at the Angling Club we got visuals of the casualty boat and it was found that the 2 men, both wearing life-jackets, were safe, after drifting to a jetty on the Sundays River, but their boat was stuck on a submerged tree stump.
The rescue craft was launched and on reaching them a towline was established and we were able to get their boat safely off the tree stump where efforts were made by the men to re-start their motors.
Still experiencing motor mechanical failure we towed them down river to a safe mooring and no further assistance was required.
Earlier, on Thursday afternoon, 7 May, NSRI Gqeberha were activated, in cooperation with NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) and MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), to conduct a medical evacuation operation of an injured seafarer, a 58 year old Ukranian man, from a container motor vessel in Algoa Bay, offshore of Cannon Rocks.
NSRI evaluated sea conditions and it was deemed unsafe to conduct the operation in the storm seas.
A WC Government Health EMS duty doctor maintained communications with the ships medical crew during the night with the patient reportedly in a stable condition. He had fallen down a flight of stairs suffering an injury and he was being cared for by the ships medical crew in cooperation with medical advice from the EMS duty doctor.
On Friday sea conditions were re-evaluated and the NSRI rescue craft Bay Guardian was launched with NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew. On arrival at the vessel an NSRI MEX crewman was transferred onto the vessel finding the patient to be in a stable condition but sea conditions remained unfavourable to execute a technical high angle transfer from the ship onto our rescue craft. We recovered our MEX crewman with the intentions to wait for more favourable sea conditions and returned to base.
On Saturday, at 11h30, the NSRI rescue craft Bay Guardian was launched, accompanied by an EC Government Health EMS rescue paramedic and 2 NSRI MEX crewmen.
On arrival at the motor vessel our 2 NSRI MX crewmen were transferred onto the vessel and in a technical high angle operation the injured man, secured into personal protective gear, was transferred onto the NSRI rescue craft.
In the care of the EMS rescue paramedic the patient was brought to our NSRI Gqeberha station 6 rescue base and he was transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition.
At hospital, in the care of doctors and nurses, the patient is expected to make a full recovery.
NSRI commend the ships master and crew, and their ships medical crew, as well as the assistance of Telkom Maritime Radio Services who facilitated communications throughout the operation.
The operation was completed at 13h04.
NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Port Elizabeth Port Control, TNPA Port Health, Police Sea Borderline Control, WC Government Health EMS Metro Control and an EMS duty doctor, EC Government Health EMS, the ships Master and crew and the shipping agent, assisted MRCC in the logistics and coordination of the maritime medical evacuation operation.
