March 2012 Incidents

Saturday 3rd March 3:10pm.
911 call received from the 21ft power craft It’s For Reel with one person on board advising disabled and at anchor in the Great Sound. Bermuda Radio initiated broadcasts for assistance and shortly after a local boat was in attendance to assist.

Monday 5th March 12:40pm.
Notification received from the Greek registered bulk carrier SD Victory, en route from Lake Charles in the U.S. to Gibraltar that she was diverting to Bermuda in order to disembark the ship’s electrician who had suffered a suspected broken ankle following a fall from a ladder. The transfer of the 46 year old Russian national to the pilot boat St David took place off the east end of Bermuda at 7:30am on Wednesday 7th March. Further transfer to an ambulance took place at Ordnance Island, St George’s for onward transportation to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Sunday 11th March 6:03am.
The Bahamian registered cruise ship Seabourn Sojourn en route from Fort Lauderdale in the U.S. to Funchal, Madeira was contacted by VHF radio 40nm southwest of Bermuda. The ship advised that she was diverting to Bermuda with two crew members in need of urgent repatriation. Transfer of the crew members to the pilot boat St David took place off the east end of Bermuda at 8:45am. Further transfer to staff from the Meyer Agency took place at Ordnance Island, St George’s.

Wednesday March 14th 11:00am.
Bermuda Radio received a satellite telephone call from the Master of the passenger vessel Prinsendam. The Captain advised Bermuda Radio of the need to evacuate an ill passenger with a possible bowel obstruction in need of medical consultation. The passenger was transferred to pilot cutter ‘St. David’ at 10:20pm the following evening and taken to KEMH via ambulance shortly thereafter.

Sunday March 18th 07:20pm.
Bermuda Radio received a call from the Marine Police reporting an overdue swimmer last seen in the vicinity of Coopers Island and Nonsuch Island at the entrance to Castle Harbour. The marine police, supported by police land units, commenced a search of the area and Bermuda Radio issued urgent marine broadcasts requesting assistance. The search was suspended at 10:45pm due to darkness. The search was resumed the following morning (Monday 19th March) with marine police units, the pilot boat ‘St David’ and the fisheries vessel ‘Sentinel’ conducting a thorough search of the area. Sadly, a body was recovered from the water a short time later.

Tuesday March 20th 2:56pm.
Bermuda Radio received a call from Air Traffic Control at Bermuda Airport relaying a report from an overflying aircraft of a distress signal being received on the air band emergency frequency of 121.5KHz from the Bermuda vicinity. Staff from the airport ground electronics team and the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre working with mobile direction finding equipment located the source of the transmission as a local fishing boat at a dock in St David’s. The transmission was coming from an obsolete Cospas/Sarsat Class A beacon still installed on the boat. Following explanation to the skipper that the system was no longer in use by the marine industry the beacon was given up for decommissioning.

Monday March 21st 9:56pm.
Three hours after departure from Bermuda the cruise ship Seven Seas Mariner reported by satellite telephone that they had a passenger suffering from dangerously high blood pressure and was returning to the island. Transfer of the patient to the pilot boat St David took place at 00.40am on Tuesday morning with subsequent transfer to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital by ambulance from Ordnance Island, St George’s. The Seven Seas Mariner continued on her voyage to Funchal, Madeira. >