While the AIDA Cruises ship AIDAperla was on a 14-day Caribbean itinerary that commenced in Barbados, a medical evacuation was effected on the morning of February 3, 2026, after a 37-year-old passenger from Germany suffered an apparent heart attack as the vessel sailed near the waters off Bonaire. The Maritime Operations Center received a distress report from the ship’s medical team and, after consulting with an on-call physician to assess the condition, determined that the passenger required immediate removal from the vessel for specialised care ashore.
In response to the medical recommendation, a Coast Guard rescue helicopter was tasked to intercept AIDAperla at sea and effect the transfer. The patient was lifted to shore where ambulance personnel were positioned to convey him to a local medical facility. Authorities have not disclosed further specifics regarding his condition following his admission ashore.
Such evacuations form part of standard maritime emergency procedures, wherein a ship’s crew will first stabilise a patient onboard and then request external assistance when advanced treatment is required ashore, often involving aircraft or vessels deployed by national coast guard services in the region.
For more AIDAperla incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page.