Mumbai, July 20 (IANS): The Indian Coast Guard Saturday evacuated two injured Chinese crew members requiring hospitalisation from a Singapore ship off the Mumbai harbour, an official said here.
The operation followed an SOS by the captain of M.T. Ocean Crown ship that two Chinese crewmen had sustained accidental injuries aboard the vessel Friday night.
The ship was on a passage from Sikka Port in the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat to Sao Bastiao in Brazil and despite administering first aid, the two crewmen urgently required specialized medicare.
The vessel was directed to come close to Mumbai, the nearest port on its voyage while a patrol ship ICG Varuna was diverted towards M.T. Ocean Crown even as a Chetak chopper was kept ready.
The chopper landed aboard the ship, around 30 km off Mumbai, Saturday evening along with a medical team to render assistance.
The crewmen - Chief Officer Fu Yaokun, 34, and Lin Xin Mao, 36 - were airlifted to INS Shikra and later the ship's agents M/s. Atlantic Shipping Ltd. admitted them to Saifee Hospital in south Mumbai for treatment.
The condition of both Yaokun and Mao is reported to be stable and they are recovering at the hospital, Coast Guard officials said.