Chinese crewman with suspected appendicitis evacuated from ore carrier

A 31-year-old Chinese crewman suffering suspected appendicitis had to be evacuated from an ore carrier off the coast of Port Elizabeth on Monday morning.

The National Sea Rescue Institute’s Port Elizabeth duty crew‚ accompanied by two Eastern Cape Emergency Medical Services rescue paramedics and an interpreter‚ arranged to rendezvous with the 327-metre ore carrier Consco Ansteel‚ sailing from Brazil‚ to evacuate the man‚ the vessel’s 2nd engineer.

“Due to the larger number of personnel accompanying the operation the private boat the Motor Vessel Beast was seconded to assist‚ said Ian Gray‚ NSRI Port Elizabeth station commander.

“On arrival on the scene the patient‚ walking wounded‚ was transferred onto the MV Beast and in the care of EMS rescue paramedics he was brought safely to the Port of Port Elizabeth in a stable condition and he has been transported to hospital by ambulance.”