The Chinese Embassy in India on Sunday expressed its appreciation for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) for carrying out a “timely medical evacuation” of a Chinese crew member aboard a merchant shipping vessel near the coast of Mumbai.
A statement from the Indian defense ministry said on Saturday that the Coast Guard responded to a distress call by a MT Hua Wei 8, a Panama-flagged vessel, travelling from India to Pakistan the same day.
The call was made when the ship was around 122 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast, sailing northwards towards the Bin Qasim port in Pakistan.
The distress call was received by the ICF Mumbai-based ICG Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.
The Indian defense ministry said that the 49-year-old Chinese crew suffered a stroke and hemiplegia, paralyzing one side of his body.
“Considering the critical status of the patient, ICG ship C-439 was deployed for his medical evacuation,” the ministry said.
It revealed that the medical evacuation mission was carried out in “extremely low visibility conditions”.
The Chinese patient was handed over to the local agent for further medical tests, the ministry stated.
“This operation once again validated ICG’s commitment for maritime safety in Indian waters,” said the defense ministry.