The seaman had suffered a serious hand injury when a heavy hatch had fallen on it and needed immediate medical treatment. The volunteer crew at Penlee launched the all-weather lifeboat Ivan Ellen in thick fog conditions at 3.25pm to head to the oil tanker’s location 25 miles south of Newlyn, arriving alongside the tanker at 4.20pm.
Patrick Harvey, Penlee RNLI Coxswain said ‘It was quite a tricky journey out to the tanker through the fog. The crew were watching closely for other vessels, which despite seeming to be some distance off, when you are travelling at such speeds, are quickly in your path and we had to change course a couple of times. "Once at the tanker, the casualty, helped by his fellow crew members, was lowered down on steps to the lifeboat. "Because the tanker was still moving at about six knots and rolling slightly, we had to be careful to get close enough to grab the casualty without damaging the lifeboat and this took a couple of attempts."
The casualty was taken back to the lifeboat station at Newlyn where a road ambulance took him to Truro hospital.