A Filipino crewman is due to be rescued off his ship today after sustaining severe facial injuries in a fall.

A pilot boat from Bermuda is to rendezvous with the 18,000 ton bulk carrier Apollo five miles offshore to transport the man to hospital.

Once the 26-year-old arrives at Ordnance Island, St. George's, he will be taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital by ambulance.

Bermuda Maritime Operations received the 'Medico' alert at 2.48 p.m. on Boxing Day.

The vessel registered to Vanuatu in the South Pacific was enroute from Brunswick, Georgia, to Gibraltar when the accident happened.

A Bermuda Maritime Operations spokesman said: "The man fell over during bad weather and this has taken a lot of skin off his face, leaving his teeth exposed. He is severely disfigured.

"He also has cuts and bruising to his torso, hands and one of his feet. As a result the vessel is re-routing through Bermuda so they can get him to a hospital.

"Once he has been treated he will be repatriated."

The Apollo is carrying 24,000 tons of soy bean meal in bulk and has a crew of 20.