Seaman rescued after more than 20 hours at sea off Australia’s east coast

(CNN) — A seaman who fell off a cargo ship survived almost 20 hours at sea before being rescued off Australia’s southeastern coast on Friday, according to emergency services.

The man in his 30s drifted several kilometers in the open sea before he was pulled from the water by a recreational angler, local rescue authorities have said.

He had last been seen aboard Double Delight, a Singapore-flagged bulk carrier, at 11:30 p.m. on Thursday. Details on how he fell from the cargo ship are not immediately available.

The ambulance service in New South Wales state responded to reports that a seaman had been found at 6:20 p.m. Friday, a spokesperson said. They added that it came from Boatrowers Reserve, near Blacksmiths Beach south of the city of Newcastle.

“The patient, a man in his 30s, was conscious, breathing and alert when assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics and treated for suspected hypothermia before he was transported to John Hunter Hospital in a serious but stable condition,” NSW Ambulance said in a statement on Friday.

NSW Ambulance paramedic Erin Laughton told CNN’s affiliate 9News that the man was about three-and-a-half kilometers out to sea “waving his arm around” and “bobbing around in the water,” when he was found.

“He was wearing a life jacket, he was conscious, he was able to communicate with us, he was very cold, he was hypothermic and exhausted – he was absolutely exhausted,” she added.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said local officials told them earlier in the day the sailor had reportedly gone overboard the previous evening, about 8 kilometers southeast of Newcastle.

The authority said it had deployed water police and marine rescue units for the rescue, as well as two sea vessels and two helicopters.

Jason Richards from NSW Marine Rescue told 9News that they had no idea how long the man was in the water for in the beginning.

“We later found out he’d been missing since 11.30 p.m., so it sort of increased the search efforts a little bit.” he said, adding that “hearing that he was found alive was just fantastic.”

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