Taiwan’s National Airborne Service Corps (NASC) used a helicopter to airlift four crew members from a cargo vessel off Taiwan’s south coast last night after they sustained injuries when a fire broke out in the ship’s engine room.
According to reports, Taiwan’s National Search and Rescue Center received a mayday call from the Marshall Islands-flagged ship Panoria at around 5:00 pm Saturday, January 4. The ship was located 23 nautical miles off the coast of Pingtung County and was reported to be on fire. Four crew members were reported to be injured and the 21 crew members aboard wished to abandon ship.
Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration dispatched patrol vessels to assist, and the Anping ship rendezvoused with the Panoria at around 6:00 pm. However, large ocean swells prevented ship-to-ship transfer of personnel, and a helicopter rescue was requested.
An NASC EC225 “Super Puma” ambulance helicopter arrived at around 7:00 pm and hoisted the four injured crew aboard. One of the injured suffered severe burns, and three others suffered minor burns. The injured were taken to Kaohsiung for medical treatment.
By the time rescuers arrived, the fire had been extinguished by the crew. The 17 uninjured crew members remained aboard the ship and are awaiting a tug boat to assist in towing the ship to the Port of Kaohsiung.
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