Cruise ship medevac off Puerto Rico receives wide coverage

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew evacuated a 65-year-old passenger from the Celebrity Apex cruise ship on Thursday after the man suffered a medical emergency while the vessel was sailing north of Puerto Rico.

The incident drew international attention, with several outlets framing the response as an indication of Puerto Rico’s emergency preparedness and its role along major Caribbean cruise routes. 

Travel and Tour World highlighted the operation under the headline, “Puerto Rico’s Commitment to Cruise Safety Demonstrated in Celebrity Apex Medevac,” writing that the swift response “underscored Puerto Rico’s dedication to maintaining a secure and reliable environment for tourists, especially those traveling by sea.” 

Puerto Rico’s location in one of the world’s busiest cruise corridors often places the island at the center of emergency responses for transiting vessels, and its aviation resources, Coast Guard operations and coordination with hospital infrastructure have proven essential in those cases.

Travel and Tour World pointed to the coordination between the cruise ship’s medical team, aviation access and San Juan’s hospital network as factors that strengthen traveler confidence during medical emergencies at sea.

CruiseMapper also emphasized the coordination between air and ground responders, noting that the “USCG MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter … transported both the ill passenger and his wife to Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, where local emergency medical services were standing by.” The patient was then transferred to Centro Médico Hospital for further treatment.

The medevac took place about 24 nautical miles north of Arecibo as the Celebrity Apex was traveling from St. Kitts to Port Canaveral, Florida. Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan received the request for assistance at 1:37 a.m. Thursday.

People magazine, in its coverage, cited the Coast Guard’s description of the decision-making process: “After carefully assessing potential risks and hazards and the patient’s information, vital signs and time-to-care considerations, the medevac request was granted and arranged to take place at sunrise.”

The Coast Guard said the rescue helicopter launched from Air Station Borinquen at dawn and rendezvoused with the cruise ship offshore. The aircrew lowered their rescue swimmer aboard the ship to assess the patient and coordinate with its medical staff. A rescue litter was used to hoist the patient onto the aircraft, and a rescue basket was used to bring up the patient’s wife.

“I’m proud of the teamwork that resulted in a successful patient transport from the Celebrity Apex to a higher level of care,” said Lt. Alberto Raymond, the helicopter co-pilot for the mission. “Thank you to the crews of the Celebrity Apex, our team in San Juan and Air Station Borinquen. All our training is for moments like this, and I’m grateful we could help save a life.”

See Coast Guard footage of the MH-60T Jayhawk medevac below.