Product Tanker Crewmember Injured in Knife Attack

A crewmember of the LR2 tanker STI Guard was seriously injured in a knife attack on Monday, according to the Regional Operational Monitoring and Rescue Center (CROSS) of Reunion Island. 

CROSS Reunion received a notification of the incident at 0935 hours local time on Monday morning. The Guard's crew reported that an Indian national was in critical condition after a fight on board. The victim - identified by the local government as the STI Guard's "commandant," or commanding officer - sustained two stab wounds to the upper body during the altercation. 

CROSS Reunion consulted with medical advisors at Hospital Purpan in Toulouse, France, where the CROSS system's medical consultation center (CCMM) is located. Medical evacuation on an urgent basis was advised, but the STI Guard was located about 300 nm out of range of CROSS Reunion's helicopter service. The Guard changed course to make for Reunion, and a doctor from CCMM provided advice remotely so that the crew could administer care during the transit. 

At 0600 hours, a national police helicopter from Reunion met with the STI Guard about 20 nm off the island's coast. The helicopter delivered a medical team to prepare the victim for transport, then evacuated him for treatment at Bellepierre Hospital. 

The attacker was restrained and held on board for the voyage to Reunion. As the altercation occurred in international waters, the vessel's flag state - the Marshall Islands - has jurisdiction over the investigation and any charges that might follow. 

As of Wednesday morning, the STI Guard was under way once more off Saint-Denis, Reunion, bound for Singapore.