A sick crew member on board an oil tanker 300 miles to the island’s east will be flown to Bermuda in the early hours of tomorrow.

According to a spokesman for the Department of Marine and Ports Services, the 38-year-old male Filipino national has been suffering from suspected appendicitis for the past three days.

He said it was decided in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard to send a helicopter to the Nordic Amy to bring the crew member to Bermuda for medical attention.

A pair of aircraft are now en route to Bermuda, where they are expected to refuel before heading on to rendezvous with the ship.

The spokesman added that the crew member is expected to arrive on the island by about 3am, at which time he will be taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital via ambulance.

Nordic Amy, registered in Singapore, was en route from West Palm Beach in Florida to Portbury in England.