Critically Injured Mariner Medevaced Off the Coast of India

An injured Chinese mariner was medevaced from a bulk carrier 200 nautical miles off the coast of Mumbai, the Indian Navy said.

Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mumbai received a distress call on Tuesday night from the Panama-registered cargo vessel Zhong Shan Men requesting immediate evacuation for a critical injured mariner suffering heavy blood loss.

Responding to the medical emergency, a Seaking helicopter was launched from Indian Navy Air Station INS Shikra at 5:50 a.m. on Wednesday.

The nearby Indian Coast Guard patrol vessel ICGS Samrat also diverted to render assistance.

Challenging weather conditions with winds over 45 knots and heavy rolling of the ship were compounded by non-availability of continuous deck. The ailing mariner was successfully airlifted from the bridge wing of the vessel, transported back to the air station and subsequently transferred to a hospital for further medical treatment.

(Photo: Indian Navy)