seriously injured seamen at St. George's.

And last night a US Coast Guard plane from Florida dropped paramedics on board the vessel, which is in the area of Hurricane Tanya, in a bid to keep the men alive until they reach Bermuda.

The ship was expected to arrive late last night at Penno's Wharf, where four crewmen, two of them seriously injured, will be met by waiting ambulances and rushed to King Edward VII Hospital. It is understood one of the men is suffering from head injuries.

A spokesman for Harbour Radio last night said that the Rescue Co-ordination Centre in New York had alerted them that the Maltese-registered Kiwi , en route from the Dominican Republic to Ireland, would have to divert to the Island.

He added: "We don't know how the injuries were sustained or the precise nature of them yet.'' Meanwhile, the Bermuda Fire Service had to stand by while the C-130 landed at Bermuda International Airport after dropping the medics aboard the ship.

Airport operations manager Mr. John Williams said the plane developed propeller problems and the pilot had to shut down one of the four engines.