A rescue helicopter team of Australia Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) successfully evacuated a crew member of a bulk ship, who was in need of medical assistance.
The Master of the Panama-registered bulk carrier HL Komipo, requested the medical evacuation of a crew member.
As the vessel was over 1,200 km north east of Cairns at the time, the evacuation could not occur for another 48 hours, when it was within helicopter range of the Australian mainland.
The AMSA tasked rescue 500 helicopter from Cairns, which refuelled at Willis Islets, before successfully evacuating the patient, who is now in Cairns Base Hospital.
The AMSA Cairns-based Challenger rescue aircraft provided support during the complex long-range operation, which took place in the Coral Sea.
Yesterday, we coordinated a long-range medevac of an ill crew member from a bulk carrier 480km east of Cairns in the Coral Sea. The crew member was evacuated by the QLD Rescue 500 helicopter and taken to Cairns Hospital. #SearchAndRescue #SafeSeas #SavingLives pic.twitter.com/X6jlwKTRkG
— AMSA News (@AMSA_News) August 3, 2023
