In another bravery tale of the Indian Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Regional Headquarters North-West Gandhinagar on Thursday provided medical assistance to a patient, suffering from appendicitis, by acting on an information received through Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, Mumbai.
The information regarding requirement of staff for evacuation of the patient from a liberian tanker was received on late Wednesday evening.
As per information a Motor Tanker named MT Karolos, which was flying a liberian flag and was on passage from Ras laffan in Qatar to Korea. The vessel was about 140 nautical miles South-West of Mangrol port in Gujarat. Considering the critical condition of the patient, the ship was directed by MRCC (Mumbai) to head at best speed towards Mangrol.
In the meantime, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Advanced light Helicopter (AlH) at Porbandar was made standby for evacuation.
The shipping agent of the ship was also liaised for medical assistance at Porbandar. During the passage, the ICG medical staff from Mumbai continued monitoring the situation and provided medical advice.
The AlH was launched from Porbandar. The aircraft closed the vessel about 55 miles south west of Mangrol and evacuated the patient by winching up. The aircraft brought the patient to Coast Guard Air Enclave at Porbandar and handed him over to the shipping agent. The condition of the patient has been reported to be stable.
“The operation was coordinated by the Coast Guard Regional Headquarters North West Gandhinagar. The operation once again testified the efficacy of the MRCC and the ICG operations in saving lives at sea,” said a senior Coast Guard official.