At quarter past seven on the evening of Nov. 3, Falmouth Coastguard received an Inmarsat Standard C Distress alert from a Ukrainan registered cargo vessel called the Katya Zelenko.
The Katya Zelenko was in a position 241 miles off the coast of Kenya. Falmouth Coastguard communicated with the vessel using their satellite communications and was able to ascertain that they had a sick crewman on board who needed immediate medical attention.
Falmouth Coastguard made further investigations and ascertained from the Royal Navy Fleet Ops that HMS Northumberland was in a position 150 miles from the cargo vessel with a Merlin helicopter on the warship.
Communications were made with the authorities and arrangements were made to land the sick crewman at Mombasa International Airport for further transport to a hospital.
The crew from the helicopter were able to winch the man from the cargo ship and land him at Mombasa.
(Source: The Maritime & Coastguard Agency Press Office)