A serious medical emergency occurred on Saturday, December 13th, aboard the Scandinavian ferry Color Fantasy shortly after it departed Kiel (Germany) en route to Oslo (Norway).
A 30-year-old female crew member sustained serious injuries while the vessel was still within the Kiel Fjord and required urgent transfer to shore-based medical care.
Upon notification of the incident via the Norwegian Maritime Emergency Coordination Centre in Stavanger, the alert was relayed to the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Bremen, which directed deployment of the DGzRS (Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger) rescue vessel HANS HACKMACK (MMSI 211235200), then stationed in Laboe (Plon district, Schleswig-Holstein). The 224-metre ferryboat was navigating the outer approach to the Kieler Forde when the distress call was received.
Approximately 600 metres off Laboe, in relatively calm conditions with small seas and a moderate westerly breeze, the rescue cruiser manoeuvred alongside Color Fantasy and the injured crew member was transferred to the DGzRS vessel without complication. Once aboard, she was conveyed into Laboe Harbour where land-based emergency services were standing by to meet the rescue craft. A dedicated rescue helicopter was then tasked to fly the patient to a specialised hospital for continued treatment, reflecting the severe nature of her injuries.
The coordinated response by the Norwegian coordination centre, MRCC Bremen and the DGzRS exemplifies established maritime emergency procedures in the Baltic, facilitating rapid transfer of a seriously injured seafarer from a vessel underway to appropriate shore-based medical care.