RNLI rescues seriously injured crew member from Thames ship

Gravesend RNLI was called at around 7.40pm on Tuesday, October 20, after a Mayday was broadcast from a large work ship following the serious incident.

The vessel was at London Gateway Port in Thurrock in Sea Reach when the lifeboat arrived.

Two members of the three-person RNLI crew boarded the vessel using a pilot ladder and were taken to a generator room where the injured crew member was located.

Duty RNLI Thames Commander Tyler Bonham said: “On arrival, two Gravesend RNLI lifeboat crew members boarded the casualty vessel via a pilot ladder, carrying specialist casualty care equipment, they were met by members of the vessel’s crew, who escorted them to the generator room, where the casualty was located.”

The RNLI said an assessment confirmed the crew member was seriously injured and needed to be moved carefully.

However, the confined generator room, tight bulkheads and steep stairways presented difficulties for the rescue team as they considered how to safely get the casualty off the ship.

Bonham added: “To minimise further injury and reduce risk to the casualty, a multi-stage evacuation plan was agreed.”

The casualty was carefully moved out of the generator room and onto the deck before being secured to a stretcher.

The vessel’s onboard systems were then used to lower them onto a tug waiting alongside.

The RNLI said the tug was chosen because it provided a larger and more stable platform than the lifeboat for the transfer.

The two lifeboat crew members remained with the casualty and monitored their condition as the tug travelled to a floating pontoon, where an ambulance crew and doctor were waiting.

RNLI volunteers gave the medical team a handover before the casualty was transferred into an ambulance.

Gravesend Lifeboat was then stood down and returned to its station.