According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) of Durban, a Brazilian crewman lost his life onboard a heavy lift vessel at South Africa, while five of the vessel’s personnel reported to have been injured as well. Further information about the type of the incident and the name of the vessel are not revealed yet.
In light of the situation, on 7 January, the lift vessel immediately called NSRI for assistance, as the captain of the ship requested the body of the deceased man to remain onboard the vessel.
NSRI Durban, Netcare 911 ambulance services and the SA Air Force (SAAF) teamed up for the rescue operation and approached the vessel which had diverted from deep-sea and was heading towards Durban.
Moreover, as NSRI highlighted, the “SAAF Oryx” helicopter landed on the vessel’s helicopter pad about 28 nautical miles off-shore East of Durban.
The SAAF BK-117 helicopter and the sea rescue craft stood-by on the scene while Netcare 911 rescue paramedics and the NSRI medic took over care of the 5 patients from the ships medical crew and the patients were transferred into the Oryx helicopter.
…NSRI marked.
Eventually, the five Brazilian crewmembers who suffered injuries, airlifted to a hospital in Durban.
For the moment the five patients reported to be in stable conditions and try to recover.
Concluding, the exact reasons of the accident still remain unclear while the identity of the vessel hasn’t been published until the families of the crewmembers be informed of the incident.
#update#
Now, the Brazilian G1 reports that the one employee died while the other five had to be hospitalized after drinking ethyl alcohol while transporting a platform from China to Santos Basin off the coast of Sao Paulo.
It is not yet known how workers ingested the substance.
Boskalis told the G1 that the crew took immediate action during the incident to divert the vessel to the coast of South Africa, performing a medical evacuation by helicopter. Tests are being performed to determine the causes of death.
Adding to this, the crew and other contractors still on board are doing well. The company also says it condolences the families and friends of the victims.
A Chinese shipyard COOEC, a Boskalis contractor, is now asked to take all reasonable steps while there is no impact on the platform deployment schedule, which continues its trip to Brazil.
