HONOLULU – A 72-year-old mariner is in stable condition after the Coast Guard coordinated a medical evacuation with the crew of a motor vessel near Hawaii, Tuesday.
The operator of the sailing vessel Turicum contacted Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu Monday, stating that he had a medical condition that had been worsening. A Coast Guard flight surgeon was briefed on the situation and recommended medical evacuation.
The Turicum was approximately 1,000 miles northeast of Hawaii, a distance to great for a Coast Guard asset to provide a timely response. JRCC watchstanders used the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER) database and were able to coordinate transport to Long Beach, Calif., aboard the 1,100-foot motor vessel Navarino.
The crew of Navarino took the man aboard Tuesday, and is expected to arrive in Long Beach on Friday, where he will be transferred to emergency medical services for further treatment.
AMVER, sponsored by the United States Coast Guard, is a unique, computer-based, and voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea. With AMVER, rescue coordinators can identify participating ships in the area of distress and divert the best-suited ship or ships to respond.
The Coast Guard’s 14th District operates out of the Hawaiian Islands, the most isolated archipelago in the world, with an area of responsibility covering more than 12.2 million square miles.
