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HONOLULU – The Coast Guard medevaced a crew member of a cargo ship 80 miles offshore Kauai, Thursday.
Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu watchstanders received a phone call at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday from the crewing superintendent of the 636-foot cargo ship Aal Kembla, which was approximately 800 miles northwest of Kauai. The crew member, a 26-year-old man, had reportedly been experiencing severe abdominal pain for three days.
After conferring with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac, watchstanders established regular communications with the vessel’s crew to monitor the patient’s status as the Aal Kembla proceeded toward Hawaii.
At 4:30 a.m. Thursday, an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew launched to conduct a pre-hoist brief with the vessel and provide support during the hoist.
At 5:47 a.m. an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew successfully completed the hoist and transported the man to Lihue Airport where emergency medical services transferred the patient to Wilcox Medical Center for a higher level of care.
-USCG-