A Filipino crew member aboard the Corvette tanker was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital yesterday after falling ill.

The 48,060-tonne vessel was en route from the Bahamas to Tarragona, Spain, when it diverted from a position 64 miles south-southeast of Bermuda, allowing the patient to disembark.

The Filipino man had been suffering from severe bouts of coughing, and showed no sign of improvement after being given medicine on-board and medical advice from ashore.

Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre received a call from Meyer Shipping Agency at 1.30pm. Shortly after 6pm, the patient was transferred on the St David pilot boat to Ordnance Island, and taken via ambulance to hospital.