Medical emergency ignored on VHF - a grave lesson in this part of the world

[demonboy]

Earlier this afternoon I had to relay a medical emergency on the VHF because no one responded to the initial call-out.

It took me five minutes to realise that the person on CH16 was seeking help because they were not using the proper protocol and in that time no one replied. When eventually I responded it transpired that someone had had a heart attack on board a 180m transporter ship about 12 miles down the coast.

Eventually, after much to-ing and fro-ing, I managed to get the number for the port police and after over an hour they finally got in touch to say the police had arrived. This was not without much relaying between Yacht Haven marina and the boat in question.

I took a screen-grab of a live AIS map, which shows all the ships in the area that have AIS, of which there were around ten. For every one boat that has AIS, there's probably another 10 that don't since AIS is not enforced here...unless you're a foreign pleasure boat (but that's another story).

[Figure shows all the vessels in the vicinity who had AIS. This is a busy shipping area so you can assume there were at least 50 vessels out there who should have heard that distress call. I'm somewhere off the map to the north.]

My problem is this: how can a massive vessel, surrounded by speedboats, day trippers, yachts, other commercial vessels, get ignored on the VHF? I even went as far as putting out an "all stations" alert on CH16 - nothing. Radio silence.

Lessons learnt

- Do not rely on VHF for assistance in an emergency.
- If you're near land, load your phone up with all the emergency numbers you need.
- Learn how to put out a proper 'pan-pan' or 'mayday'. It could be the difference between someone ignoring you and someone taking you seriously.

A Dutch guy here in the marina told me a story of a lifeboat in the seas near Singapore that was passed by ten ships before anyone took any notice. Perhaps there is an element of "don't want to get involved" too?

It does not make me feel comfortable thinking about this situation were it to arise on Esper. There's a lot to be said for the RNLI and a competent coast-guard. There's no such thing in this part of the world.

 

[ribrage]

Earlier this afternoon I had to relay a medical emergency on the VHF because no one responded to the initial call-out.

It took me five minutes to realise that the person on CH16 was seeking help because they were not using the proper protocol and in that time no one replied. When eventually I responded it transpired that someone had had a heart attack on board a 180m transporter ship about 12 miles down the coast.

Eventually, after much to-ing and fro-ing, I managed to get the number for the port police and after over an hour they finally got in touch to say the police had arrived. This was not without much relaying between Yacht Haven marina and the boat in question.

I took a screen-grab of a live AIS map, which shows all the ships in the area that have AIS, of which there were around ten. For every one boat that has AIS, there's probably another 10 that don't since AIS is not enforced here...unless you're a foreign pleasure boat (but that's another story).

[Figure shows all the vessels in the vicinity who had AIS. This is a busy shipping area so you can assume there were at least 50 vessels out there who should have heard that distress call. I'm somewhere off the map to the north.]

My problem is this: how can a massive vessel, surrounded by speedboats, day trippers, yachts, other commercial vessels, get ignored on the VHF? I even went as far as putting out an "all stations" alert on CH16 - nothing. Radio silence.

Lessons learnt

- Do not rely on VHF for assistance in an emergency.
- If you're near land, load your phone up with all the emergency numbers you need.
- Learn how to put out a proper 'pan-pan' or 'mayday'. It could be the difference between someone ignoring you and someone taking you seriously.

A Dutch guy here in the marina told me a story of a lifeboat in the seas near Singapore that was passed by ten ships before anyone took any notice. Perhaps there is an element of "don't want to get involved" too?

It does not make me feel comfortable thinking about this situation were it to arise on Esper. There's a lot to be said for the RNLI and a competent coast-guard. There's no such thing in this part of the world.

I worked your neck of the woods recently and Id put it down to the area your in more so than anything else , lack of funding , lack of training , deadlines for ships , the list goes on, VHF is used more like walkie talkies

I recently replaced PLB's in 35 life jackets - each time doing a deck test to make sure they worked - didn't get a response from my own ship half the time - all depended on who's on watch !

 

[demonboy]

I worked your neck of the woods recently and Id put it down to the area your in more so than anything else , lack of funding , lack of training , deadlines for ships , the list goes on, VHF is used more like walkie talkies

Yeah, there's definitely some truth in the lack of funding thing. I was talking about this with the girls in the marina who were part of the relay and they said exactly that: lack of funds. When I talked about volunteers for the RNLI they laughed, saying people just wouldn't do work for nothing. They said they do have volunteers on the beaches (lifeguards) but they're not going to help you two miles off-shore.

Funnily enough in Thailand Ch16 is pretty quiet. India, on the other hand, now that's a different story! Every fisherman as far as the eye can see uses it as his own personal radio station.

 

[ribrage]

Yeah, there's definitely some truth in the lack of funding thing. I was talking about this with the girls in the marina who were part of the relay and they said exactly that: lack of funds. When I talked about volunteers for the RNLI they laughed, saying people just wouldn't do work for nothing. They said they do have volunteers on the beaches (lifeguards) but they're not going to help you two miles off-shore.

Funnily enough in Thailand Ch16 is pretty quiet. India, on the other hand, now that's a different story! Every fisherman as far as the eye can see uses it as his own personal radio station.

Try anchoring off Iraq / Syria for three months and doing four hour night watches staring at the radar screen and cancelling 6 different DSC bridge radios as DSC distress alerts came in every ten mins - all false - whilst legally obliged to maintain a listening watch on channel 16 - listening to what's going to happen to your mother and sister all night long or I KIIL YOU - I KILL YOU followed by numerous expletives , often with a brummie accent .

 

[NornaBiron]

I put a Mayday out last year from a secluded bay in Symi, Greece, as we had an unknown number of people in the water around us in the early morning with no moon. There was not one answer to my call, not even a relay. We later found out that my call had been heard and ingnored over in Turkey. I ended up telephoning Falmouth Coastguard.

 

[demonboy]

I put a Mayday out last year from a secluded bay in Symi, Greece, as we had an unknown number of people in the water around us in the early morning with no moon. There was not one answer to my call, not even a relay. We later found out that my call had been heard and ingnored over in Turkey. I ended up telephoning Falmouth Coastguard.

Hi NornaBiron - didn't I read about you guys somewhere? Weren't you the ones who helped take these people ashore?

 

[NornaBiron]

Hi NornaBiron - didn't I read about you guys somewhere? Weren't you the ones who helped take these people ashore?

Probably on the BBC! We picked 11 people up out of the water and ferried them to the shore, this time last year when the refugee crisis was still quite fresh.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29391116

 

[demonboy]

Probably on the BBC! We picked 11 people up out of the water and ferried them to the shore, this time last year when the refugee crisis was still quite fresh.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29391116

Aye, that was the one, and I do remember reading about it on YBW too if I'm not mistaken. I was marveling at your humility at the time. I would add that the refugee crisis has been going on for many years but that's just me splitting hairs, I get what you mean. Anyway, good on you for helping out. Shocking that no one relayed your mayday because that area is populated by hundreds of boats, literally hundreds.