[ad_1]
The foreign press names the Lithuanian engineer Vidam Perevertilov, although it can be assumed that his name is Vadim.
V. Perevertilov fell from the ship on February 16 at 4 pm in the morning, in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and the British-owned Pitcairn Islands. He spent more than 14 hours in the water, clinging to an old fisherman’s buoy until he was finally rescued.
One alone in the middle of the ocean, without a life jacket, at dawn decided to swim towards the black point on the horizon. This decision saved his life, writes the BBC.
V.Perevertilov – chief engineer on a Gibraltar-flagged Silver Supporter aboard the Pitcairn Islands from Tauranga.
He later told his son that at the end of the shift in the engine room early in the morning he felt dizzy and stepped off the deck to get some fresh air.
“He doesn’t remember how he fell,” his son, Marat, told New Zealand’s Stuff website. “Maybe he’s passed out.”
His father told him that he remembered how he had regained consciousness and saw that his ship was sailing in the dark. The ship’s crew noticed the Lithuanian disappearance only after 6 hours.
Immediately the ship raised the alarm, the French Polynesian Navy joined the search and the French Meteorological Service calculated where the sailor could be carried away by the currents.
The crew was able to determine that V. Perevertilov was still on board at 4 pm the morning, as he had marked the time then.
Encountering just one in the ocean while the ship was backing up, the 52-year-old Lithuanian made a decision that was likely fatal and saved his life. On the horizon, he saw a black point, a kind of blob, and he swam to it.
“His desire to survive was very strong, but they told me he had a hard time keeping his head above the water before the sun came up,” Marat said.
It turned out that that black spot was an old fisherman’s buoy. V. Perevertilov grabbed him and did not release him until 6 pm late until he was finally rescued. According to the advice of the meteorological service, his crew was looking for a man when he heard a weak voice and then saw V. Perevertilov waving his hand.
The sailor was pulled out of the water exhausted but not seriously injured.
The Governor of the Pitcairn Islands, Laura Clarke, told the New Zealand Herald that it was a great relief for everyone to learn of the rescue. “We all feared the worst, given the Pacific area and its strong currents,” he said.
Marath Stuff added that her father left the buoy at sea and did not take it as a souvenir. “Funny. He said he wanted to leave it at sea so the buoy could save someone else’s life,” said the son.
ALSO READ: Pitcairn Island: a paradise where nobody wants to live, even if the plots are offered for free
A sailor friend from the Western Express this week also told about the incident. “It just came to our knowledge then. Furthermore, the heat in the engine room of the ship where he was working was also very high, about 40 degrees. The situation on deck was the same,” said the interviewer.
According to the friend of the rescued sailor, it was the sailor who went there who lost consciousness due to fatigue and recovered it while already in the water. “From what he said, the extremely hot sun burned his face and head completely,” said the interlocutor.
“My friend wanted to say more thanks to all the crew members. These men really have a lot of experience. They calculated everything very precisely while they rescued him ”, the interlocutor pronounced the words of a long time acquaintance. The ship’s captain is from Kaliningrad and the boss. assistant captain – a resident of Klaipeda.
Read more here: A friend of a Lithuanian saved in the Pacific Ocean: “We are trained to fight for survival for 6 hours, not 16”
[ad_2]
