A medical evacuation was conducted by an Italian Coastguard helicopter for a female crew member of the ship MSC Virtuosa, navigating off Sardinia Island's southernmost point (Capo Spartivento), ~110 NM (~200 km) east of Catania Sicily.
On the morning of Wednesday, November 8, the Catania Coastguard Aircraft Base received a request for the evacuation of the crew member from MSC Virtuosa.
The necessity for evacuation arose due to the significant distance from the coast and the prolonged duration required to transport the 19-year-old crew to a hospital. She had been exhibiting symptoms indicative of a potential meningitis case for several hours.
Having departed from the port of Naples, Italy the previous evening en route to the Greek port of Piraeus, the MSC Virtuosa's evacuation was prioritized to ensure maximum speed in the transfer, a critical factor in delivering timely medical assistance.
The AW139 Coast Guard helicopter executed the evacuation, transporting the woman to Catania's Cannizzaro Hospital.
For more MSC Virtuosa incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.