A crew member from the cruise ship Marella Explorer 2, anchored in the middle of Tor Bay, South West England, was transferred ashore with one of the ship’s lifeboats after suffering a suspected heart attack. With the assistance from RNLI lifeboat station volunteers, the crew member was taken ashore to Torquay and transferred to the hospital.

Lifeboat station RNLI Torbay reported that the volunteer crew were called out at just after midday, December 13, to the Marella Explorer 2 - one of the cruise ships anchored in the bay - to assist in the medical evacuation of one of the ship’s crew who was suspected of having had a heart attack. The casualty was taken ashore to Torquay in one of the Marella’s own lifeboats accompanied by RNLI Torbay’s all-weather vessel and taken on from there to Torbay Hospital by ambulance.

The following photo of the medical evacuation was taken by Greg Baker.