Humber Lifeboat long distance medical evacuation

The RNLI Severn class lifeboat, which is based at Spurn point, launched with a crew of six at 22:30 on 31 January to go to a crab fishing vessel where a crew member needed evacuation to shore. The fishing vessel steamed towards the shore to meet the Humber Lifeboat, shortening the distance.

The weather on scene was a force five to six, with about 1.5 to 2 meter seas. The transfer went without too much of a problem with the fisherman being transferred on the first attempt.

The fisherman was assessed by the lifeboat crew and taken by the lifeboat to Grimsby fish dock. The injured man was passed to the care of a waiting coastguard team.

Dave Steenvoorden, Coxswain for Humber RNLI, said, 'It's unusual for us to go out so far, but our crews are highly trained to deal with this type of situation and we were able to take the casualty swiftly to shore.'

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The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

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