While Celebrity Apex was underway from St. Kitts toward Port Canaveral, Florida, a passenger was medically evacuated by the United States Coast Guard after he fell seriously ill in open waters about 24 nautical miles north of Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
The request for a medical evacuation was received by Coast Guard Sector San Juan early on Thursday, December 11th, and a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter was dispatched from Air Station Borinquen to meet the cruise vessel at sea.
Upon reaching Celebrity Apex, the Coast Guard aircrew lowered a rescue swimmer to the ship’s deck to assess the patient and coordinate with the ship’s medical personnel. The 65-year-old passenger, who was reported to have multiple medical conditions requiring advanced care ashore, was secured in a rescue litter and hoisted into the helicopter. His spouse was also transferred into the aircraft using a rescue basket so that she could accompany him.
After recovery of the rescue swimmer, the 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. From there they were taken by ambulance to Centro Médico Hospital for further treatment.
For more Celebrity Apex incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page.