Working Conditions Aboard the Ssi-Surprise

On November 24, 2017, at approximately 11:30 a.m., the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea was alerted to a medical evacuation operation, orchestrated by the CROSS Jobourg near Cherbourg. The bulk carrier 'Sea Neptune', which was sailing from Baton Rouge to Wilhelmshaven carrying a coal shipment, requested urgent assistance after departing the traffic separation zone at the Casquets, roughly 25 nautical miles north of La Hague. The ship's captain reported that a 56-year-old Filipino crew member was experiencing severe headaches and breathing complications. Prior to this, the vessel had contacted the German Maritime Medical Assistance Center for guidance. Subsequently, the German MRCC transferred the coordination of the rescue operation to CROSS Jobourg, which oversees emergency maritime responses in the vicinity, facilitated through CROSS Gris-Nez. In response, CROSS Jobourg promptly set up a teleconference connecting the ship with medical experts from the maritime medical consultation center in Toulouse. Following a thorough assessment, a swift medical evacuation was deemed necessary. Collaborating with SAMU in Le Havre and the Maritime Operations Center (COM) of the maritime prefecture in Cherbourg, they dispatched a Cayman helicopter from the naval base in Maupertus, which carried a medical team from SMUR Granville to the 'Sea Neptune'. Meanwhile, the ship was directed to alter its course towards Cherbourg to minimize response time. By 1:30 p.m., the medical professional had been deployed onto the vessel while the patient was secured onto a stretcher for aerial transfer. The helicopter safely arrived at the Cherbourg commercial port around 2 p.m., where the medical team from Hospital Pasteur took over care of the patient just ten minutes later.