Canadian crews conduct medical evacuations from two cruise ships
Passengers aboard Celebrity Solstice and Serenade of the Seas were brought ashore for additional medical care in separate incidents.
A Celebrity Solstice passenger was airlifted from the cruise ship after requiring additional medical care, according to a news release from Esquimalt Public Affairs. The Royal Canadian Air Force deployed a helicopter and rescue team, and search and rescue technicians were lowered onto the vessel to assist with the evacuation.
The passenger was transported ashore for hospital treatment. A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson said the guest had experienced a medical emergency and was medically disembarked because further care was required.
In a separate incident, a traveler aboard Serenade of the Seas experienced a medical emergency during a seven-night round-trip Alaska voyage from Vancouver on Monday, September 14. Passenger Jay Spiegel said the ship issued an Alpha Alpha Alpha alert and traveled at 23.5 knots toward a rendezvous point for a helicopter evacuation.
A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and a CC-295 Kingfisher plane were dispatched to Serenade of the Seas, according to reports. The patient was secured and transported to Port Hardy, where paramedics took over and provided further medical care.