On April 20, 2025, an 84-year-old German passenger aboard the TUI cruise ship Mein Schiff 3 experienced a severe cardiac event while the vessel was approximately 180 nautical miles northeast of Sao Miguel Island in the Portugal's Azores.
The ship's crew promptly contacted the Ponta Delgada Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC Delgada) at 11:30 a.m. local time.
In coordination with the Maritime Urgent Patient Guidance Center (CODU-MAR) and the Air Search and Rescue Center (RCC Lajes), an EH-101 helicopter from the Portuguese Air Force was dispatched to the scene.
The helicopter successfully evacuated the patient from the cruise ship and transported him to Ponta Delgada Airport, arriving at 8:09 p.m.
Subsequently, the individual was transferred to a medical facility on Sao Miguel Island for urgent care.
Mein Schiff 3 current cruise is а 28-day, roundtrip from Bremerhaven. The itinerary began on March 30th and ends on April 27th.
For more Mein Schiff 3 incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.