According to initial reports, the man of European descent had cut off his arms.
However, when rescue workers boarded the vessel Taishan, they found the injured man lying down on the deck with both arms intact.
The man was identified by a Spanish passport as Mr Juan Rafael Grana Santos, 57, and he did have a few slashes on each arm that were bandaged before he was carried off the boat and transferred to Vachira Hospital for further inspection.