Banana boat rescue drama

The painful incident happened at 6.30pm last night on the freight ship Agulhas Stream, which is operated by MMD Ltd and was in dock at Flathouse Quay, Portsmouth at the time.

The man, believed to be aged 48, was working onboard unloading cargo when he fell through the open hatch.

Firefighters from Cosham and Southsea set up a complex rope rescue system to get him to safety – even cutting part of the ship away to allow enough room to reach him.

The man was taken by ambulance to hospital and treated for a suspected broken leg. The incident, overseen by watch manager Dave Stephens, was over by 7.30pm.