Russian ship seeks medical aid from Australian frigate

By LCDR Antony Underwood

HMAS Anzac has rendered help from a distance to a seriously ill Russian sailor in a merchant ship.

The guided missile frigate was tracking near the African coast, returning from the six-month deployment Exercise Northern Trident, when it was asked to assist the 275-metre long oil tanker, MV Voyager.

Anzac’s operations officer, LEUT Matthews spoke by INMARSAT ’phone to Voyager and established that all on board were Russian but that the Master spoke a little English.

The Master confirmed that one of his crew was suffering from severe abdominal pain and Anzac’s medical officer considered the possible causes but, because Voyager was some 450NM south-east of Anzac, was unable to confirm a diagnosis.

Anzac suggested two options to Voyager:

• To proceed 300NM to the nearest medical facilities – at the port, Monrovia, the capital of Liberia in central west Africa which had three hospitals;
• To alter course to rendezvous with Anzac for a helicopter medivac. The Captain of Voyager opted to sail to Monrovia as the fastest means of getting the crewman to proper medical aid,.
  
  He later advised that the crewman’s condition had stabilised and that they intended to disembark him to the Ivory Coast and thanked Anzac for the help.

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