A RESCUE team pushed its helicopter to the limit of its fuel supply yesterday to pluck an injured fisherman to safety from a remote ocean rendezvous.
A Royal Air Force crew was helped by a tail-wind as it tested the capabilities of its Wessex helicopter to make the rendezvous with service colleagues on HMS Starling, which had picked up the injured man from his boat.
He was airlifted 160 kilometres to hospital to conclude a 24-hour operation with just five to 10 minutes' worth of fuel left in the helicopter's tanks.
It was the third rescue in 21 hours for the RAF crew.
The 23-year-old man from the mainland suffered severe head injuries aboard his Hong Kong-registered ship on Tuesday. The call for help was made on Wednesday when his condition deteriorated despite treatment in the Paracel Islands, 800 km south of Hong Kong.
HMS Starling, commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Rob Bosshardt, set sail for the islands while RAF officers meticulously planned how far out they would be able to make a rendezvous.
The critically ill man, identified only as Mr Wong, was returned to his fishing vessel which headed north and met the Royal Navy ship at 1.30 am yesterday.