Coast Guard team airlifts sick foreign seafarer off Lubang

Philippine Coast Guard operatives assigned to help secure Pope Francis on Monday airlifted a foreign seafarer from a Curacao-flagged vessel off Lubang Island in Mindoro.

 

The Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday said Able-bodied Seaman Vasilijs Mahins had fractured his lower right leg while working onboard MV Transporter.

 

"Despite having most ships and air assets engaged for the Papal Visit security, Chief of Coast Guard Staff Capt. Oscar Endona deployed MCS 3004 to rendezvous with MV Transporter near Lubang Island," it said.

 

It said the MCS 3004 was placed under the operational control of Task Group Papal Visit.

 

Citing initial information, the Coast Guard said the MV Transporter's ship master Capt. J. Kabicenko coordinated with the Coast Guard Action Center to evacuate Mahins.

 

Personnel from MCS 3004 airlifted Mahins and ferried him to Cunanan Wharf where a Coast Guard medical team and an ambulance commissioned by manning agent Philippine Transmarine Carriers (PTC) brought him to a hospital.

 

The MV Transporter departed Batam, Indonesia and was heading for Tianjin, China when the incident occurred. — Joel Locsin/VC, GMA News