• 2 min de lectura
• 2 min de lectura
The Argentine Naval Prefecture deployed a meticulous rescue operation this Tuesday to air-evacuate a crew member from a Portuguese-flagged fishing vessel who suffered symptoms consistent with a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or stroke while sailing outside the country's Exclusive Economic Zone, approximately 230 nautical miles (more than 425 kilometers) from Mar del Plata.
The emergency began when the Mar del Plata Maritime Traffic Management Center received a communication from the captain of the vessel "Novo Virgem Da Barca," requesting a medical radio consultation for a 57-year-old Indonesian crew member.
According to the captain, the crew member, who at that moment was sailing about 230 nautical miles (about 425 kilometers) off the coast of Mar del Plata, suffered from weakness in the upper and lower left limbs, presented a deviation of the left corner of the mouth, severe headache, difficulty speaking, and disorientation, among other alarm signals.
With this information, a Coast Guard doctor warned that it could be a stroke, so he recommended that they begin sailing towards the port of Mar del Plata to carry out an air evacuation.
While the vessel's movements were monitored through the Coast Guard System developed by the Force, an airplane and a helicopter, with a doctor and rescuers on board, took off from the Mar del Plata Air Station early this Tuesday to carry out the complex operation.
After a rapid flight offshore, upon arriving at the fishing vessel's location, the Coast Guard helicopter positioned itself above it and, in a precise maneuver, lowered a rescue swimmer to hoist the sick crew member.
Once on board the aircraft, a Coast Guard doctor provided initial care while he was transported to the helipad that the National Maritime Authority has at its headquarters located in the port area of Mar del Plata.
There, after prior coordination, an ambulance was waiting, which transferred him to a private hospital for better medical assistance. Meanwhile, the vessel resumed its navigation to the fishing zone.
