While there is little gCaptain can do directly we have been working, for a number of years, with various maritime security companies in the area. The best, by far, in emergency evacuation services (they do both security & medical evacs!) is Global Rescue.

The company was originally referred to me a few years back by a navy SEAL who had been my roommate from the academy. He said they where the best… a fact that was proven when a writer for our sister site suffered a fatal ski crash in the andes mountains last year. It was a tragic story but, the bottom line is, that GR got our friend’s remains back to California without incident. They are true heros in what they do.

I would trust these guys with my life so, if you have friends in region looking for help getting out contact GR’s hotline at (617) 459-4200) – feel free to tell them gCaptain sent you.

Of note: If your ship or rig is due to transit the Middle East, your best bet is to sign up for their membership plan today so they can work out a contingency plan before you get to the area.

-John

Disclose: Neither gCaptain nor myself have ever received money from GR for endorsing their services but they did provide me with a free membership in return for maritime consultancy work I have done for them in the past. I did the work for no money, just a membership card, because I believe helping mariners in immediate distress is a noble cause and GR is the best in the business of getting people off ships and/or out of dangerous countries in a hurry.

Click HERE to discuss security and medivacs services at sea in the gCaptain forum.

ASTORIA, Ore. The Coast Guard medically evacuated a crewmember from a U.S. Navy submarine off the coast of Wash., Tuesday. The Navy contacted the Coast Guard at 5:50 p.m. to request assistance in transferring a crewmember to a hospital from a submarine. Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, Ore., launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew to assist. The rescue helicopter arrived on scene at 7:12 p.m. and hoisted the crewmember by basket from the sail of the submarine. The crewmember was transferred to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore. (U.S. Coast Guard video/Air Station Astoria)

Last week we brought you information on marine license insurance and in our continuing quest to look at non-traditional protection available to mariners we bring you Global Rescue – Maritime!

Mariners work in conditions that make getting immediate medical treatment extremely difficult. Most mariners and shipping companies do not have the assets to quickly and smoothly move injured or ill mariners off the ship and to qualified medical facilities much less to a hospital of their choice. When they do, Aeromedical transports can cost well over $100,000US and are rarely covered by insurance.

Even when a shipping company has a track record of evacuating injured mariners they rarely offer the level of service a good third party company can provide. For example:  Will your company send you to a hospital in the nearest country or get you home fast? Will they provide a qualified medivac team at the closest point of land? Will the patient and their family’s concerns remain top priority?  With Global Rescue the answer is YES!  They also are discrete, important if you worry about your company’s reaction to a medical concern.

Global Rescue tells us:

Through its ability to provide real-time medical consulting anywhere in the world from its specialists at Johns Hopkins Medicine, Global Rescue is able to relay critical medical support to sick or injured mariners while they are thousands of miles from a hospital or out of the range of a medivac aircraft. Since most ocean-going vessels do not possess medically trained and equipped crews, Global Rescue provides ship captains the confidence and peace of mind needed to be sure injured sailors will be well cared for until rescue teams can reach the vessel.

In addition to its medical consultation services, the Boston-based crisis response company has a network of medically equipped, fixed and rotary-wing aircraft on every continent, thousands of vetted hospitals worldwide who can provide treatment in any patient’s language, and a selection of Centers of Excellence around the globe that offer medical care on par with that available in the United States. Its deployable paramedics routinely respond to emergencies in the most remote reaches of the planet.

When a shipmate is injured off an unfamiliar coast, Global Rescue will give you the confidence to stabilize him on board and the knowledge that first-rate medical providers are deployed to the closest point of land. Family members will be comforted in the knowledge that Global Rescue will keep them informed and expedite his return to a hospital of their choice.

While many of us think insurance is an unneccessary expense, it’s important to note that like a firefighting or personal survival training… when ship hits the fan it too late to start preparing.

If your ship travels to unusual places or you simply want a cost effective back up to your company’s medical plan visit their maritime website or call them at +1.800.381.9754. Be sure to mention you are a mariner or shipping company as this is a specialty service they provide to seafarers at no additional cost.

Also be sure to download their Mission Summaries pdf for some truly amazing stories of rescue.

SAN DIEGO, Calif., (November 16, 2007) Crews from Air Stations San Diego and Sacramento conducted a medevac of a 72 year-old-male from a cruise ship 70 miles east of Isla De Guadalupe, Mexico. The C-130 from Air Sta Sacramento flew overhead coverage as the HH-60 from Air Station San Diego hoisted the man from the ship. The man was taken to Air Station San Diego where he was transferred to local EMS.

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