NSRI Shelly Beach crew ‘worthy of praise’
The technical difficulty in completing this rescue is indicative by the fact that it commenced at 12:26 and was only completed at 18:00.
The Meritorious Service Award was given to National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Station 20 Shelly Beach at NSRI’s 56th annual awards evening and AGM in Cape Town recently.
At the event, the volunteer organisation celebrated their dedicated volunteers and other individuals who risk their lives to save the lives of others in South African waters.
The award was given to the station for their prompt and effective action in rescuing two injured crew members off a bulk carrier after an onboard accident.
On October 16, 2022, NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew received a distress call reporting injuries to two sailors on a bulk carrier motor vessel 19 nautical miles off Port Shepstone.
It appeared that while working on the life boat onboard the motor vessel the life boat deployed unexpectedly, plunging into the sea, injuring the mechanic who was in
the life boat and crew still onboard the ship were unable to reach the life boat in the water.
NSRI Rocky Bay and NSRI Port Edward were placed on alert and the NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Dawn from Shelly Beach was launched accompanied by a Med-Evac rescue paramedic, a crew member of NSRI Shelly Beach.
On launching at Shelly Beach, sea conditions were two to two-and-a-half-metre swells.
On arrival on the scene in five to six metre swells, NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water and they boarded the life boat.
A critically injured seaman with trauma injuries, believed to be in his 50s, was safely extricated from the life boat and brought onboard the rescue craft, where he was taken into the care of the Med-Evac paramedic who initiated immediate medical treatment.
A second adult seaman was secured into a Stokes Basket stretcher, and was hoisted aboard the rescue craft by the ship’s crew using their ship’s crane.
He too was found to be in a critical condition with trauma injuries.
The technical difficulty in completing this rescue was indicative by the fact that it commenced at 12:26 and was only completed at 18:00.
In the care of the paramedic, they were both brought to NSRI Shelly Beach rescue base and transported to hospital.
At the time, hospital staff confirmed that both sailors were recovering in hospital.
This medical rescue operation in extremely challenging sea conditions was highly commended.
NSRI recognises that the training, professionalism and ethos of the crew at Station 20 Shelly Beach resulted in the successful execution of this remarkable rescue operation, and must be congratulated for their meritorious service in the best traditions of NSRI.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
