A 72-year-old passenger aboard Holland America Line’s Koningsdam was airlifted to safety after suffering multiple strokes while the ship was 300 miles off the coast of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The US Coast Guard (USCG) successfully conducted the emergency medical evacuation last week, ensuring the man received urgent medical care.
The dramatic rescue took place on Thursday, February 27, as a Coast Guard medevac helicopter hovered over the cruise ship and lowered a rescue basket to lift the passenger. He was then transported to Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu for treatment.
Meeting a 20-Hour Deadline
The emergency began the previous day when the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu was alerted at 2:48 pm that the cruise passenger had suffered multiple strokes. A Coast Guard flight surgeon determined that a medevac was necessary within 20 hours to ensure the man’s survival.
The following morning at 9 am, crew members of an HC-130 Hercules airplane and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point met the ship approximately 60 miles south of Honolulu.
A passenger who shared a video of the emergency airlift on Facebook observed, “We were under challenging weather when the helicopter arrived and [the weather] was starting to worsen when the airlift began.”
Medevacs: “Teamwork Is Critically Important”
Following the operation, Lt. Cmdr. John Stockton, the HC-130 Hercules Aircraft Commander, praised the USCG’s coordinated effort. “By combining the skills of our crews and the specialized capabilities of our aircraft, we are able to respond to emergencies across the vast Pacific region,” Stockton stated. “Teamwork is critically important for medevacs, which are among the most time-sensitive and high-stakes missions we take on.”
At the time of the incident, Koningsdam was in the middle of a 35-day roundtrip voyage from San Diego to Hawaii and French Polynesia. The Pinnacle-class vessel had departed Kauai on February 25 and was en route to Fanning Island, Kiribati. The cruise is scheduled to return to California on March 22.
Travel Insurance and Earlier Medevac
Medical evacuations at sea are rare but can be extremely costly, sometimes exceeding $100,000. This incident highlights the importance of travel insurance, which can help cover emergency medical expenses and evacuation procedures in unforeseen situations.
This is not the first time a cruise passenger has required an urgent evacuation. In January, a traveler aboard Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas needed immediate medical attention. Since an airlift was not feasible, the ship made an unscheduled stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico, delaying its itinerary by a full day.
While medical emergencies are unpredictable, cruise lines and the Coast Guard work together to ensure passenger safety, responding swiftly when time is of the essence.
