After an emergency call on the radio, from the merchant ship Cantabrian, EU NAVFOR warship SPS Victoria launched her helicopter to rescue a seaman in acute need of medical care.

Just after lunch time today, the 2 of August, EU NAVFOR received an emergency call from a merchant vessel in the western part of Gulf of Aden. There was a seaman on board the Liberian-flagged MV Cantabrian that had suspected appendicitis. EU NAVFOR warship SPS Victoria, the closest unit to Cantabrian, was tasked to make a medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) with its helicopter.

Victoria's helicopter picked up the ill seaman and is now, after a short landing for refuelling, on its way to a hospital in Djibouti. The seaman, whose condition is serious but stable, is from Myanmar.

EU NAVFOR Somalia - Operation ATALANTA's main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Programme (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.