A Dutch merchant vessel has turned towards Bermuda after a crewman began to suffer respiratory issues.

The MV Rolldock Sea contacted the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre minutes after 10pm last night to say it was steering towards the island because a 39-year-old Filipino national needed medical evacuation.

The ship, which is en route from Port Everglades, Florida, to Den Helder, Netherlands, was expected to meet the pilot boat St David at 1.30pm yesterday for the crewman to be transferred to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.