The US Coast Guard has once again completed another successful mid-voyage airlift.
The latest medical evacuation occurred on Celebrity Apex on Monday, December 2, 2024, while the Edge-class cruise ship was sailing about 130 miles off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
She had only just embarked on her current 7-night sailing from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida, on November 30, 2024 – and hadn’t even made it to her first port of call when an unidentified guest became seriously ill.
While neither the US Coast Guard nor the Royal Caribbean-owned cruise line have issued an official statement about the airlift, many of the passengers onboard were quick to share footage of the rescue – which was conducted by Sector San Juan Search and Rescue (District 7).
The videos show the helicopter hovering near the 2,910-guest ship with crowds gathered to watch. Some clips show first responders in the open doorway to the helicopter and lowering a large basket-type object to retrieve the patient.
Details about the ailing passenger and what condition they were suffering from remain confidential – but it was likely something serious as it warranted the need for an emergency rescue to receive treatment on land.
After the guest was onboard, they would have been taken to a hospital – although in this case, it’s not known which one.
While cruise tracking data showed that the 129,500-gross ton vessel briefly halted off the coast of Puerto Rico, she is now sailing at speeds of approximately 19 knots per hour toward her first port call of the trip – making up any time lost in the delay.
Indeed, she is expected to arrive on time in Basseterre, St. Kitts, at around 8 a.m. local time on December 3, 2024.
She will also call on Tortola, British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, before returning to Fort Lauderdale on December 7.
A Busy Streak for the US Coast Guard
This latest airlift comes after an eventful weekend for the Coast Guard – during which not one, but two, cruise ship evacuations took place.
In an interesting coincidence, both vessels are Carnival-owned and were operating Mexican itineraries when the rescues became necessary.
The first evacuation took place on Holland America Line’s Koningsdam on the morning of November 29 after a 66-year-old guest developed possible stroke symptoms.
The 2,650 vessel was sailing approximately 280 miles south of the US and Mexico border at the time of the airlift.
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At the same time, another evacuation became necessary onboard Carnival Panorama – although less details are known about the circumstances that warranted the emergency call.
That said, guests onboard remembered hearing announcements asking for volunteers to donate blood the previous night – which may or may not be related.
This also isn’t the only recent medical evacuation from a Celebrity cruise ship. On November 5, 2024, a crew member from Celebrity Edge had to be airlifted to receive urgent treatment.
This rescue – which took place off the coast of Australia’s New South Wales – was particularly complex and required coordination between a rescue helicopter and a supporting aircraft.
The two teams worked together to conduct a winch recovery – during which the unidentified crew member was hoisted into the helicopter and then transferred to medical care.
