Video: Argentine Navy Rescues Crewmember of Chinese Squid Jigger

Rescue personnel of the Argentine Naval Prefecture medevaced a crewmember from the squid jigger Xin Shi Ji 91 at a position about 145 nm off the port of Mar del Plata, within the Argentine EEZ.

The captain of the fishing vessel contacted the Mar del Plata Maritime Traffic Management Center and reported that a 50-year-old crew members was unwell. The man was reportedly suffering from paralysis, headache and aphasia, a form of disordered speech that typically results from a stroke. 

After a radio consultation, the prefecture arranged for an immediate medevac. A rescue helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft for overwatch were deployed. 

Once the helicopter arrived and SAR personnel were lowered onto the ship, a litter was lowered from the helicopter so that the crew member could be hoisted up. He was delivered to shore and transferred to an ambulance for treatment at a hospital. 

The medevac was a rare moment of cooperation between Argentine naval forces and Chinese distant-water squid jigger operators, who sometimes trespass in the Argentine EEZ in pursuit of abundant squid stocks. In years past, the Argentine Navy has opened fire on (and even sunk) Chinese fishing vessels for infringing on Argentina's exclusive economic zone.