An officer who suffered a suspected heart attack on board a ship heading from Kuwait to Texas was due to be brought ashore to Bermuda last night.

The steam ship Wilson was diverted to the Island at about 9.40 p.m. on Monday after the 62-year-old American took seriously ill. At 10 p.m. last night the vessel was off-shore in the East End and had been met by a Government pilot boat.

A spokesman for Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre said the man would go on the pilot boat to Ordnance Island and be transferred to a waiting ambulance to be taken to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH).

The Wilson,with a crew of 24, was about 700 miles south east of the Island when the man became ill. He was said to be in a stable condition yesterday.

The Norwegian research ship Polar Search is due to arrive in Bermuda at 2 p.m. today to allow one of its male officers to be treated at KEMH for suspected appendicitis.

The 24-year-old Tunisian took ill as the 4,215 ton, 98-metre long seismic survey vessel made its way from Florida to Denmark. It was about 290 miles east of the Island at 10 p.m. last night and will be met off-shore in the east end by a Government pilot boat this afternoon.

A 64-year-old cruise ship passenger was rushed to KEMH yesterday evening after suffering a suspected stroke onboard the Seven Seas Navigator which is docked at Front Street, Hamilton. An ambulance was called to assist the American man just before 9 p.m.