Flavio Gasperini
On 17 January 2026, the Ocean Viking evacuated 44 people from Merchant Vessel Sider. The Captain had requested our assistance after issuing a mayday to all authorities. His cries for help were ignored by authorities. In the alert, the captain clearly stated that his ship had no means to properly assist the people on board. By the time Ocean Viking was able to intervene, the survivors had already spent 3 days on an unseaworthy fiberglass boat, and 2 and a half days on the Merchant vessel.
Our doctor, Anne, was called on scene to assess the very difficult situation our rescuer found on board. Here is her account of the events:
“On the 17th of January, we were requested to assist with the evacuation of 44 people rescued by the merchant vessel SIDER. We had no precise information about their medical condition, only that they were exhausted, sick, and in need of urgent care.
Shortly after boarding MV Sider, the SAR team leader called over the radio. He said the situation was complex: many extremely weak people were lying on the deck, and a doctor was urgently needed. When I arrived, I saw that the situation was critical. Everyone was lying on the bare deck. Some were unconscious, others struggling to breathe. They were terrified screaming for help, begging for water, grasping our legs,
I immediately carried out a rapid triage, checking consciousness and assessing the severity of dehydration and breathing difficulties. Several people had to be evacuated on stretchers. They were all suffering from severe dehydration with hypernatremia dangerously high levels of sodium in the blood, causing neurological symptoms such as confusion, altered consciousness, spasms, difficulty walking, and in one case, seizure. A mass casualty plan was activated.
We removed wet clothes, wrapped people in survival blankets, placed them in semi-sitting positions, and helped them drink water and oral rehydration salts slowly, while reassuring them and guiding their breathing.
Most recovered within about 1 hour. The situation was extremely shocking far beyond what we had expected. It was terrifying, yet with very simple care: water, reassurance, and stabilization they could recover. If we had arrived just a few hours later, we would probably have found people almost dead on that deck. The timely intervention of the Ocean Viking made the difference between life and death.
