investigation, dealing with local authorities, assisting in arrangements for medical care and repatriation, or assisting with the return of remains when that becomes necessary.
Successful Rescue
When a ship encounters a man overboard situation and the person in the water is recovered, the first order of business is to provide immediate medical care. The person may require only basic first aid or more urgent care. The degree of care required needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the master, the ship’s medical officer and any ship-to-shore medical assistance available. Diverting the ship to provide medical care or arranging for medical evacuation may also be necessary. If the recovered seafarer is unfit for duty, arrangements for a replace- ment at the ship’s next port will also be necessary.
While the health and safety of the recovered seafarer is of paramount importance, it may also be wise to consider arranging for psychological evaluation of eyewitnesses since witnessing a man overboard can be traumatic.
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Recovery of Remains
When the person in the water is not rescued and the remains are recovered, proper steps need to be taken to preserve the remains onboard until the next port of call. Members should be aware that diversions due to a death onboard are not covered under the Club rules. Remains should be kept chilled, not frozen, until transferred ashore in accordance with local law. Arrangements then need to be made to repatriate the remains to the next of kin.
Normally, the remains are taken to the local Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy. The Medical Examiner will then issue a death certificate, which is required to release the body. Once the body is released it is taken to a funeral home for preparation for repatriation. As anyone who has ever dealt with this situation knows, repatriation of remains can be a time consuming and complicated undertaking. Further information on repatriation of remains can be found in the June 2009 edition of TMA Bodily Injury News on our website -
www.ukpandi.com.
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