Crew of the TNG's tanker "VINJERAC" under the command of Capt. Milan Grbic, rescued five extremely exhausted and wounded Cuban fisherman between Cuba and Panama on 8th of February 2016. The fishermen aged 27-35 years, previously floated for four days on overturned eightmeter speedboat. One of the rescued fishermen unfortunately died onboard Vinjerac on the third day after the rescue. His colleagues shared the fact that he previously had a heart condition, and that he couldn't endure the thirst so he drank sea water. In effort to save his life he was given an infusion according to instructions received from the Mediko Rijeka medical services. While sailing towards Las Minas in Panama, Vinjerac reported the authorities about the poor health condition of the rescued fisherman.
Watch the testimony of the crew in the video prepared by the Seaferers' Union of Croatia:
https://youtu.be/7jU3Bur1-Zw
The 2016 team winners of the Blue Ribbon of Vjesnik are the Crew of mt Vinjerac, the individual winner is Mr. Marijan Babić from Poreč who saved a Czech sailor Mr. Jaroslav C., whose sailing boat capesized few hours earlier near Trieste (Italy), while the HRT's radio show Seaman's evening ("Pomorska Večer") got a special award for contributing to the development of a culture of life by the sea and from the sea.
Fifty-second Blue Ribbon of Vjesnik, the award that honors the brave seafarers in the individual and team categories, this year will be held on December 5th in Opatija's hotel Royal.
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