Fishing Boat’s Crew Rescues and Revives Man-Overboard Victim

The crew of the French fishing vessel Anna Mamm Mari carried out a rapid and successful man-overboard recovery on Monday, pulling a crewmember back out of frigid North Atlantic waters in a matter of minutes. 

On Monday evening at about 1725 hours, the Mari was working just off the coast of Saint-Nazaire. The crew were on the back deck deploying a net when a 23-year-old crewmember got caught in it and was pulled over, according to Oest France, forcing the crew to take quick action.

The captain maneuvered to bring the victim alongside, and the crew used a net hauler to hoist him aboard. “It lasted four to five minutes, maybe a little more, but it was fast,” skipper Christophe Audo told Oest France. 

Cold water shock and hypothermia pose a serious risk in water temperatures below 50 degrees, like the waters of the Bay of Biscay in February. The victim was not breathing and was unresponsive when he was brought on board, according to Premar Atlantique. 

The crew provided him with first aid and managed to resuscitate him while a French Navy Dauphin helicopter flew to the scene; he did not regain consciousness. The aircrew took him on board and delivered him to a hospital in La Rochelle for treatment, arriving at 1925.