A 56-year-old woman of Peruvian nationality was the subject of a medical evacuation from the cruise vessel MSC Orchestra on Wednesday morning, December 31st, after she suffered a cerebrovascular stroke while the ship was on passage to Valencia.
Shortly before 06:30 a.m., as the vessel proceeded through the Gulf of Asinara, ~50 nautical miles (90 km/60 mi) from Porto Torres, Sardinia Italy, a medical alert was logged. In response, the local Port Authority, in conjunction with the national Operations Center in Rome and the ship’s officers, set in motion emergency procedures.
Following consultation between the ship’s doctor and the International Radio-Medical Center in Rome, it was assessed that the passenger’s condition necessitated definitive care ashore, and an immediate medevac was ordered. To aid the transfer, the Coast Guard at Porto Torres directed MSC Orchestra to adjust her track toward a central position in the Gulf of Asinara, where the prevailing sea state was comparatively moderate.
A coast guard search-and-rescue patrol vessel put to sea and made contact with the cruise ship at approximately 09:50 a.m., about 5 nautical miles off Porto Torres. The passenger was embarked onto the rescue craft without incident and conveyed to shore.
The operation was completed at about 10:25 a.m. when she was landed at the Porto Torres Port Authority pier and taken into the care of Italy’s 118 emergency medical service, after which she was transported to a hospital in Sassari for further treatment.
Once the evacuation was effected, MSC Orchestra received clearance to continue her passage to the port of Valencia.
For more MSC Orchestra incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page.