Baltic Sea maritime rescue operations conducted for medical emergencies

Two separate maritime rescue operations were conducted in the Baltic Sea involving medical emergencies.

In one incident near Ustka, a sailor aboard the vessel ‘Windpiper’, which is involved in offshore wind farm construction, suffered a serious injury. Due to concerns regarding venous thrombosis and potential pulmonary embolism, the individual required urgent medical evacuation. The Maritime Search and Rescue Service and the Navy deployed the rescue ship ‘Orkan’ and a Navy helicopter to transport the patient to a hospital in Słupsk.

In a second incident approximately 37 kilometers east of Rügen, a yacht issued an SOS signal for medical assistance due to a crew member suffering from severe seasickness. The Polish ferry ‘Polonia’ assisted by relaying a clearer SOS signal, which allowed German rescue services to pinpoint the vessel's location. Despite challenging weather conditions with winds at Beaufort scale 5 and waves reaching 2.5 meters, a medical team was successfully deployed to the yacht via the rescue vessel ‘Notarius’ after a helicopter was unable to land directly on the small craft.