Key Aspects:
- The Algerian Naval Forces responded to a call for a medical evacuation onboard Sky Princess on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
- The guest in need of the urgent rescue was a 77-year-old British national who was suffering from a serious medical condition.
- The airlift went smoothly and there was no impact to the two itineraries that the Princess ship is operating simultaneously.
For one Princess Cruises’ guest, their voyage onboard Sky Princess has come to an abrupt conclusion.
The guest, who has only been identified as a 77-year-old British national, suddenly required urgent hospitalization while sailing in the Atlantic Ocean near Algeria.
The cruiser’s condition has not been disclosed, but the Princess medical team would have evaluated the guest and deemed their situation too serious to be managed onboard before calling for a medical evacuation.
When the distress call was received at approximately 10:40 a.m. local time on October 8, 2025, the Royal-class cruise ship was positioned approximately 35 nautical miles north of Algeria’s Cap de Fer.
For context, this would place the vessel in the Skikda Province maritime zone, which stretches approximately 80 miles from El Marsa in the east to Oued Z’hour in the west along the Mediterranean coastline.
The National Coast Guard Service immediately sprang into action to rescue the ailing patient.
The Algerian Naval Forces quickly sent an AS-14 search and rescue helicopter from the 560th Search and Rescue Helicopter Squadron to rendezvous with the 3,660-guest ship.
The rescue was aided by coordination efforts made by the regional surveillance and rescue center in Jijel, Algeria.
Thankfully, the airlift went smoothly and the passenger was successfully transferred to the El Hadjar Hospital in Annaba, where they were admitted. Their prognosis has been kept private.
Cruise Hive is sending our thoughts and prayers to the disembarked passenger and their loved ones for the best possible outcome and a speedy recovery.
No Impact to the Itinerary
Sky Princess is nearing the end of a 31-night round-trip Mediterranean itinerary that embarked in Southampton, UK, on September 13, 2025.
An additional round of cruisers also embarked in Istanbul, Turkey, on September 27, for a 17-night sailing to Southampton.
Luckily, the evacuated passenger would have been able to enjoy the majority of the scheduled port calls, which included top-tier destinations throughout Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece, and Malta.
Adding to the good fortune, we can confirm that there was no impact to the remaining two ports on the itinerary for the remaining guests because of the medical evacuation.
This is lucky, as rescues can sometimes lead to delayed or cancelled port calls. Just last month, for example, Carnival Sunshine arrived late in Bermuda after an early morning rescue.
According to cruise tracking data, the 141,000-gross ton vessel was not delayed long by waiting for the helicopter and did not go off course in order to meet the first responders.
She also had a full sea day in between the rescue and her next port call to help make up any lost time.
The first of the final calls was to Cadiz, Spain, where Sky Princess arrived on time on October 10, 2025. The final stop will be in Lisbon, Portugal, on October 11.
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The 2019-launched vessel will then spend two more days at sea before returning to Southampton on the morning of October 14.
Disembarkation for the current voyage, and embarkation for the following cruise – which is a 5-night sailing to Hamburg, Germany – will proceed as normal.
