MAR BLANCO

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Difficult medevac in Atlantic

A rescue helicopter was sent and the Royal Air Force put on stand-by after a fisherman was severely injured on thew "Mar Blanco" in the Atlantic. A Spanish crewman had suffered serious head injuries in a fall and required urgent hospital treatment. The nearest landfall was on north-west Shetland 230 miles away, about the distance between Glasgow and Manchester. Stornoway Coastguard rescue helicopter was dispatched at around 10.30am on on Jan 21, 2012. A helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth was also sent to Stornoway in case further safety cover was needed after the Coastguard's own surveillance plane had to turn back due to icing problems. Weather conditions at sea were strong winds of force nine and occasionally up to storm force 10. The crew of the vessel originally called the vessel's owners in Spain, who contacted Spanish Coastguard and relayed the rescue message to Stornoway via Clyde Coastguard. A Spanish translator helped to relay instructions to the fishing vessel for the rescue as it required a high line transfer from the vessel to the rescue helicopter. The Coastguard said close co-ordination between the vessel and aircraft was essential during a high line transfer. The crewman was then to be transferred to hospital in Stornoway. The crewman was later transferred to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, because of the seriousness of his injuries.