A fishing crewman has been flown to hospital after suffering a suspected cardiac event about 15 nautical miles east of Great Barrier Island.
The man, who is in his late 40s, became unwell aboard a fishing vessel on Tuesday morning, prompting the vessel’s master to call for medical assistance.
The first PAN PAN call was made at 11.45am, with HMNZS Taupo responding after hearing the call while travelling up the Coromandel Peninsula’s west coast.
The Navy patrol vessel contacted Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre and diverted towards the fishing boat, travelling at up to 22 knots. A Northern Rescue helicopter was also dispatched from Whangārei.
The situation was upgraded to a mayday at 12.07pm as the crewman’s condition required urgent medical attention.
HMNZS Taupo and the helicopter reached the fishing vessel at about 1pm, but the helicopter could not safely winch the patient directly from the boat.
Instead, a Navy seaboat took the crewman across to HMNZS Taupo, where a medic provided an initial assessment and treatment.
A Northern Rescue medic was then winched onto the Navy vessel before the crewman and medic were both winched aboard the helicopter at 1.28pm.
The helicopter flew the patient to hospital.
The Navy said the rescue was the first significant tasking for HMNZS Taupo’s new command team, led by commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Ben Fairweather.
Junior Navy personnel and the Northern Rescue crew also assisted with the evacuation.
