A 53-year-old man was rescued on Friday after experiencing “symptoms of dyspnea” while on board the cargo ship TCZEW, which was sailing 90 nautical miles northwest of Madeira Island.
The Indonesian national was a crew member of a Liberia-flagged vessel approximately 166 kilometers from the Portuguese archipelago, according to a statement from the Portuguese Navy.
The alert was raised by the navigation agent, who contacted the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Subcenter of Funchal (MRSC Funchal), the statement noted.
“The ship navigated towards Funchal Port, where, at a distance of about three miles south, approximately five kilometers, it was possible to transfer the patient to a lifeboat from Funchal’s Lifeboat Station, which carried out the rescue to shore,” it added.
The man was then taken to a hospital.
The Local Command of the Maritime Police took charge of the occurrence, which was also coordinated with the Center for Urgent Patients – Maritime (CODU-MAR) and the Regional Civil Protection Service (SRPC IP-RAM).
The Navy announced on Thursday that it carried out 40 search and rescue actions resulting in the rescue of 60 people in September through the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centers (MRCC).
The organization reported that “in the area of responsibility of the MRCC of Lisbon, 29 incidents were recorded in which 53 people were saved.” Meanwhile, in the area of responsibility of the MRCC of Ponta Delgada, there were six search and rescue actions, resulting in one person’s rescue.
In the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Subcenter of Funchal, five search and rescue actions were coordinated, leading to the rescue of six people.
“The success of the search and rescue system is supported by different organizations, with resources deployed from various entities including the Navy, National Maritime Authority, Portuguese Air Force, and other bodies belonging to the Auxiliary Structure of the National Search and Rescue System, notably the National Institute of Medical Emergency – Center for Urgent Patient Coordination at Sea (INEM CODU-MAR), the National and Regional Civil Protection and Fire Services, the Maritime and Port Administrations, the Coastal Traffic Control System, among other organizations,” the entity highlighted in a statement.
The Navy also emphasized “the support provided by merchant ships and fishing vessels in search and rescue operations, which divert from their commercial routes and interrupt their professional activities to render necessary assistance, always coordinated by the National Centers – MRCC Lisbon and MRCC Delgada.”
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