Appearing tiny against the backdrop of a freighter, crew members including the Medical Officer from HMAS Melbourne draw alongside the merchant vessel City of Beijing in Melbourne's sea boat.

Melbourne aids ill seaman

21/09/201512/10/2015 Posted by Brian Hartigan 3910 Views 0 Comments HMAS Melbourne, Manitou

HMAS Melbourne aided a critically-ill merchant seaman in the southern Arabian Sea on Sunday.

Melbourne, deployed on Operation Manitou in the Middle East, responded to a safety-of-life-at-sea (SOLAS) call from the Merchant Vessel City of Beijing.

The Royal Australian Navy frigate rendezvoused with City of Beijing at first light on 20 September and dispatched her medical officer and several of her ship’s company by boat to assess the seaman.

HMAS Melbourne's Medical Officer, Lieutenant Tenille Chapman waits in the seaboat while the Boarding Team embarks. They are heading to provide aid to a critically ill mariner on board the merchant vessel City of Beijing. — HMAS Melbourne’s Medical Officer, Lieutenant Tenille Chapman waits in the seaboat while the Boarding Team embarks. They are heading to provide aid to a critically ill mariner on board the merchant vessel City of Beijing.

Melbourne’s medical officer Lieutenant Tenille Chapman said the sailors condition was very serious and that she administered emergency treatment.

No specific details of the sailor’s ailment were released, but Defence said that after Lieutenant Chapman administered to his immediate needs, City of Beijing headed to Mumbai at best speed so the mariner could receive urgent land-based hospital care.

HMAS Melbourne returned to her patrols with the multi-national Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

Melbourne is on her eighth deployment to the Middle East, on the 61st rotation of a Royal Australian Navy vessel in the region since the first Gulf War in 1991.

Royal Australian Navy ships are assigned to CMF for maritime security operations under Operation Manitou, the Australian name for the ADF’s operational contribution.