Galician Coast Guard Conducts Long-Distance Medical Evacuation of Sailor
The Galician Coast Guard is reporting the successful evacuation of a seriously injured crewmember from a fishing vessel, despite challenging conditions. It required a 3.5-hour flight to reach the fishing vessel, Armaven Uno. The boat was more than 100 miles northwest of Cabo Vilan, in northwestern Spain.
The fishing vessel was encountering strong winds of 30 knots and waves up to 4 meters (13-plus feet). The 102-foot trawler had set out from Ireland two weeks ago, according to the newspaper La Voz de Galicia, and was fishing the Grand Sol grounds. The UK-flagged fishing trawler, which was built in 1995 and is 268 gross tons, was due to sail to Vigo to sell its catch.
???? O Pesca 1 acaba de efectuar un rescate en condicións extremas.
— Gardacostas Galicia (@GardacostasGal) September 29, 2026
???? Evacuamos un mariñeiro ferido grave do pesqueiro ‘Armaven Uno’ a 100 millas ao NO de Cabo Vilán. Tras 3,5 h de voo, ondas de 4 m e vento de 30 nós, foi trasladado a Vigo en coordinación con Salvamento Marítimo pic.twitter.com/ecrBRDxMyn
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In coordination with Salvamento Marítimo, the Gardacostas Galicia reports the evacuation was conducted under “extreme conditions.” The sailor was taken aboard its helicopter and flown to Vigo for medical treatment.
Four years ago, the fishing vessel had also conducted a rescue, at that time saving 11 crewmembers from the stern trawler Piedras, 78 nautical miles southwest of Ireland. It was June 2022 when the Piedras reported uncontrolled flooding that would cause it to sink. The Armaven Uno was nearby and rescued the crew from a life raft.
