The Bundaberg-based RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter crew has winched an injured man from the deck of a moving cargo ship, off the Central Queensland coast.
The man, who was working on board the vessel, had suffered a serious leg injury and required hospital care.
The helicopter was sent to the area by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) around 1pm yesterday (Weds 17th) and rendezvoused with the ship approximately 100 nautical miles offshore.
The RACQ LifeFlight Rescue Critical Care Doctor and Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) Flight Paramedic were winched down to the vessel to provide treatment and secure the patient into a stretcher.
The doctor was winched back up to the helicopter first.
The pilot then circled the vessel and returned to hoist the patient into the aircraft, followed by a third extraction operation to bring the Flight Paramedic back to the chopper.
The injured man, who is aged in his 30s, was flown to Bundaberg Hospital in a serious condition.