A British passenger aboard the Sky Princess, a vessel operated by Princess Cruises, was medically evacuated by the Spanish coast guard after experiencing cardiac complications during the voyage.
Images provided by Spain’s Galician Coast Guard depict emergency personnel and cruise staff assisting the individual into a helicopter rescue basket before the airlift, which took place on Wednesday, March 26.
According to the coast guard, the Pesca 1 helicopter executed the evacuation approximately 15 miles west of A Guarda. The passenger, experiencing heart-related issues, was transferred to Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital for medical treatment. The coast guard confirmed to The Sun that they had coordinated the evacuation as the Sky Princess traveled southwest from Vigo (Spain) toward Funchal (Madeira, Portugal), positioning the vessel five miles from Cape Silleiro at the time of the incident.
Sky Princess had departed from Fort Lauderdale (Florida USA) on a 27-day one-way itinerary around Spain and Portugal, incorporating scheduled calls in Morocco and the Canary Islands before her final destination in Southampton on April 5. The emergency occurred roughly midway through the voyage, necessitating the passenger’s return to Vigo for hospitalization.
In a separate incident earlier this month, Crown Princess encountered adverse maritime conditions that resulted in multiple injuries among passengers and crew. The ship, sailing a two-week roundtrip itinerary from Sydney (NSW Australia), experienced significant tilting after encountering strong winds near Milford Sound (New Zealand).
Reports indicate that 16 individuals sustained injuries following a sudden shift in the vessel’s orientation, attributed to a 75-knot wind gust that temporarily increased speed and caused a 14-degree tilt. Video footage from the incident captures crew members securing loose items, with plates and cookware displaced in the galley, and retail goods falling from shelves in onboard stores. The vessel’s swimming pool was also observed spilling over due to the unexpected shift.
Following the event, the ship’s captain briefed passengers on the meteorological conditions that contributed to the incident, emphasizing the challenges posed by severe weather at sea.
For more Sky Princess incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.