Saga SaphireYesterday, a Portuguese air force helicopter medevaced a crew member from the Saga Sapphire south of the island of Madeira, according to JM Madeira.

The medical rescue of the crew member was the result of the coordination between the Portuguese navy, through the Center for the Coordination of Maritime Search and Rescue of Ponta Delgada (MRCC), and the Funchal Search and Rescue Coordination Sub-Center (MRSC), the Air Force (FAP) and the Regional Service (SRPC).

The medevac took place on Saturday, January 27, 2018.

The crew member was reportedly a 24-year-old British national who was aboard the Malta-flagged Saga Sapphire which was sailing about 233 miles (431 km) southwest of the island of Madeira.

The alert was received by MRSC Funchal at 8:37 a.m. in the morning.  A rescue helicopter and a C295 aircraft of the Madeira Air Detachment of FAP, located in Porto Santo (an island near Madeira) were dispatched to the cruise ship.  The helicopter hoisted the crew member aboard and then flew him to the  airport in Madeira at around 3:50 p.m. He was then taken to the Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital in Funchal, Madeira.

Photo credit: Pjotr Mahhonin – CC BY-SA 3.0, commons / wikimedia.