T’puram: A crew member who suffered a medical emergency was evacuated from an LPG tanker off Vizhinjam port on Monday and taken to a city hospital.The MV Nexor, an Equatorial Guinea-flagged vessel, had sailed from Singapore to Sri Lanka and was anchored near Colachel while awaiting instructions for its onward voyage, which were delayed due to the high-risk situation in the Persian Gulf. During this time, a crew member developed severe stomach pain and blood in his urine.Indian national Mohammad Bariz Ansari, a junior engineer, had joined the ship for duty in Sri Lanka.The captain of the ship made a distress call to MRCC Mumbai requesting an evacuation of Ansari on Sunday night. MRCC transferred the call to Vizhinjam.Manoj Nair of Waterline Shipping, who coordinated the operation with the vessel owner, coast guard and the port authorities, said: “As soon as the distress call was transferred to Vizhinjam, the vessel owners contacted. We instructed the ship to sail closer to Vizhinjam. A coast guard vessel met the LPG tanker at the outer anchorage and transferred the crew member to the port.” Kerala Maritime Board tug Dhwani was on standby for support.“Our staff attended to the crew on the coast guard ship and then moved him to SP Medifort hospital with whom we have an MoU to move such cases. The crew member was suffering from pain for the last few days and the ship requested for an evacuation when the pain became severe.” Ansari received treatment on time and is stable.He said that “This is the third medical evacuation we are coordinating at Vizhinjam. The vessel owner entrusted us to do the coordination because of our experience,” he added.The ship had been waiting off the Sri Lankan coast for several days but moved towards the Indian coast and dropped anchor to conserve fuel.Officials said that the incident shows that Vizhinjam is also emerging as a port for quick medical evacuation because of its location and safety.
About The Author
