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Two stowaways were rescued from a cargo ship by National Sea Rescue Institute members last week.
The NSRI received a call on Monday 3 September, at around 21:30, after two men were found on the cargo ship UAL Lobito off-shore of the Port of Table Bay at anchorage.
Marc de Vos, NSRI Table Bay duty coxswain, says one of the men was reportedly injured. The two men were reportedly found to be unauthorised persons aboard the ship, which had departed Table Bay Port earlier that day.
“One of the men had reportedly been injured from a fall onboard the ship. The ship had put to anchor and raised the alarm,” explains De Vos.
On arrival at the ship two NSRI rescue swimmers and two paramedics went aboard the ship and found the injured man to be in a barely accessible area of the ship, among containers, and crew of the ship were unable to reach him.
“A technical rescue operation using high-angle ropes and equipment commenced and the man, aged 22, suffering a suspected fractured ankle sustained from a fall, was extricated by the rescue crew using a Stokes basket stretcher and high-angle ropes and equipment and he was medically cared for by the EMS rescue paramedics,” says De Vos.
The second man, aged 18, was in the care of ship’s crew and was not injured.
Both men are reportedly from Tanzania.
“Both were transferred onto our sea rescue craft and brought into the Port of Table Bay and the injured patient has been transported to hospital by ambulance in a stable condition.
“The teenager has been taken into the care of the Sea Borderline Police and an investigation into the incident and the circumstances has been opened by police,” he adds.
