The Mexican Navy evacuated a foreign crew member from a container ship off the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur on April 28 after the vessel radioed for emergency medical help. The sailor was suffering severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and respiratory complications.
Naval personnel from the Puerto Cortés Sector intercepted the container ship near the Bocana of Isla Margarita, a barrier island along the BCS Pacific coast roughly 300 miles northwest of La Paz. An ENSAR (Estación Naval de Búsqueda, Rescate y Vigilancia Marítima) rescue team transferred the patient from the ship and brought him to Puerto San Carlos, the closest port with road access to the peninsula’s highway system.
Transfer From Puerto San Carlos to La Paz
From Puerto San Carlos, the patient was transported overland to a hospital in La Paz for specialized care. The drive from Puerto San Carlos to La Paz covers about 135 miles and takes roughly two and a half hours on Highway 22 and the Transpeninsular Highway. The Navy did not release the sailor’s nationality or the name of the container ship.
ENSAR stations operate as the Navy’s dedicated search, rescue, and maritime surveillance outposts. The Mexican Navy established the ENSAR network in 2008, placing stations at strategic Pacific and Gulf of Mexico ports. Each station is equipped with Coast Guard Defender class vessels and 47-foot motor lifeboats designed for rapid offshore response.
BCS Coast Sees Regular Naval Rescues
The operation is the latest in a string of recent rescues along the BCS coast. Just days later, on May 3, naval personnel from the Fourth Naval Zone based in La Paz conducted another medical evacuation, airlifting two foreigners near Los Dolores to the ENSAR pier in La Paz, where both were reported in stable condition.
The Fourth Naval Zone provides an emergency contact number for mariners and anyone in distress at sea: 612-123-2838. The national Secretariat of the Navy hotline is 800-627-4621 (800-MARINA-1).
First reported by BCS Noticias.