Early Saturday morning, the Indian Navy received a request from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai, for a Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) of a Filipino citizen on board MV Saipem Endeavour. The individual was suffering from acute appendicitis and required immediate evacuation. The ship, under tow, was located 55 nautical miles (NM) southwest of INS Shikra.
An efficient MEDEVAC operation was carried out by the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, involving a Seaking helicopter from INS Shikra and ICGS Samrat. Despite adverse weather conditions, low visibility, and a low cloud base, the Seaking helicopter was launched at 0900 hours. Despite the ship's excessive rolling and significant turbulence, the helicopter safely landed on the ship and embarked the patient.
At approximately 1000 hours, the aircraft returned to INS Shikra with the patient, who received initial medical treatment at INS Shikra before being transferred to INHS Asvini in Colaba for further treatment.
This successful MEDEVAC operation demonstrated the effective cooperation and interoperability between the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, utilizing deployable assets at sea and shore-based operations centers.
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