U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crews medevaced a 35-year-old female Polish passenger from THE WORLD cruise ship who was suffering from pneumonia on May 25th. Petty Officer Anthony Soto stated the rescue involved two helicopters missions. The first delivered oxygen to the cruise ship and the second transported the passenger to Kona Community Hospital. THE WORLD, a concept cruise ship whereby passengers reside on board, was originally en route to Honolulu but was diverted to the Big Island. The ship’s last port of call was Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati.
This was the second reported event in a week where the Coast Guard was called to medevac a passenger off a cruise ship. The first involved a Royal Caribbean a passenger who was experiencing stroke-like symptoms off the coast of Massachusetts.
