CHENNAI: On Tuesday, the Indian Coast Guard successfully conducted a complex mid-sea medical evacuation of a Syrian sailor from the Belize-flagged cargo vessel MV Haje Nafela. The incident unfolded while the ship was en route to Kakinada from Malé, Maldives, when 20-year-old crew member Abdulkader Yahya suffered a severe head injury while working on deck.
Due to the injury, Yahya experienced intermittent memory loss and significant bruising around his right eye, which led the vessel’s master to urgently request a medical evacuation. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Chennai received the distress signal when the ship was over 200 nautical miles offshore.
In response, the MRCC directed the vessel to move at full speed toward Chennai and provided telemedicine support from an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) medical officer to stabilize the patient during transit. The ICG quickly mobilized interceptor craft C-440, equipped with a medical team, and diverted the ICG ship Annie Besant to assist with the operation.
The evacuation was successfully executed approximately 60 nautical miles off the coast, and the injured sailor was handed over to the local agent of the vessel for further medical care.
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