Chinese national evacuated from vessel on Arabian Sea

The Indian Coast Guard has evacuated a Chinese national from a Panama-flagged research vessel on the Arabian Sea after he suffered a heart attack, the maritime security agency said in a statement on Thursday.

The evacuation was done around 200 km off Mumbai on the intervening night of August 16-17 and carried out amidst challenging weather conditions, it said.

As per the statement, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai received information that a crew member on board MV Dong Fang Kan Tan No 2 had suffered a cardiac attack and required urgent medical attention.

Communication was established immediately with the vessel, which was en route from China to the United Arab Emirates, and necessary telemedicine advice was provided, it said.

'Considering best feasible options for speedy evacuation and subsequent medical management, the patient was airlifted by CG ALH MK-III (an advanced light helicopter) and was administered with first aid. He was later transferred to agent of the vessel for further medical management,' the statement said.

The swift operation by CG ALH and Coast Guard Air Station in Daman enabled the saving of a precious life, it said.