Burnham-On-Sea RNLI crews and a Coastguard helicopter were called out in the early hours of Wednesday (April 24th) to rescue a person from a rig in the sea off Hinkley Point power station.
The crews were called out at 12.28am alongside the Barry Dock offshore lifeboat to a casualty evacuation from the offshore Hinkley Point rig that is being used to build the power station’s new water cooling system.
The casualty on the rig was suffering from chest pains, and the Coastguard helicopter Rescue was tasked to airlift the person. A paramedic was winched onto the rig to help the casualty who was taken to hospital.
Burnham-On-Sea RNLI‘s Atlantic 85 lifeboat, called the Doris Day and Brian, was launched, and made its way towards the Hinkley Point exclusion zone.
The lifeboats were called out in case the Coastguard helicopter was unable to land a winch man on the rig. They would have taken the casualty onboard and transferred the person onwards to the helicopter – a scenario that crews have previously trained for.
On this occasion, the casualty was airlifted by the Coastguard to Southmead Hospital after recovery from the rig.
Burnham-On-Sea RNLI Helmsman Nick Prout said the lifeboat stood off and was not required but was there to support. “We quickly launched and made our way to the Hinkley Point exclusion zone where a drop barge working rig had a medical emergency. Visibilty was good and we were able to standby in case of problems with the casualty transfer.”
Launch Authority Marc Smith adds: “Upon our return to Burnham, we undertook a low water recovery, excellently executed by the Head Launcher, drivers and shore team. Of course it was a very muddy recovery and our volunteers eventually returned home at around 3.30am after washing off all our kit and returning the lifeboat to service.”
The rig in the Bristol Channel is assisting in building the power plant. It has been helping in building the power station’s cooling water system.
