The rescued patient from the cargo vessel DEMETER LEADER is safely transferred ashore in HCM City on October 31 before being rushed to hospital. — Photo courtesy of VNMRECC

HCM CITY — A crew member aboard the Japanese-flagged cargo vessel DEMETER LEADER has been safely brought ashore to HCM City for emergency medical treatment following a severe cardiac incident at sea.

The Việt Nam Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Center (VNMRECC) received an urgent distress call from the vessel IMO 9477921 at 9:20am on October 30 while it was en route from Japan to Singapore through Việt Nam’s southern waters.

The crew member suffered sudden, prolonged chest pains accompanied by shortness of breath and severe headaches.

Medical advisers at International SOS assessed that the patient showed symptoms of acute coronary syndrome with a high risk of myocardial infarction, requiring immediate hospitalisation.

As the crew member's condition deteriorated, oxygen support was administered on board, prompting the vessel’s captain to request urgent medical evacuation from Vietnamese authorities.

Upon receiving the alert, VNMRECC established direct communications to provide initial first-aid instructions to the ship's crew.

Under the direction of the Việt Nam Maritime and Inland Waterways Administration, the centre dispatched specialised rescue vessel SAR 272 from its station in the city’s Phước Thắng Ward, carrying two medical doctors to intercept the vessel.

Rescue forces reached the ship at sea, stabilised the patient, and safely transferred the crew member onto SAR 272.

The rescue vessel docked at VNMRECC’s pier in the city’s Phước Thắng Ward, at 3:21am on October 31, where the patient was immediately transferred to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

The swift deployment of specialised rescue craft and medical personnel underscores the proactive commitment and responsibility of Việt Nam’s maritime search and rescue forces in safeguarding lives across the country's maritime zones. — VNS