SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The crew of a Coast Guard helicopter medevaced a 70-year-old man from the Norwegian Escape cruise ship Wednesday night, approximately 60 nautical miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Coast Guard watchstanders received a call at 3:19 p.m. Wednesday from the Norwegian Escape, requesting a medevac for a U.S. citizen passenger who was experiencing chest pains and required medical attention ashore.
“This case would not have been possible without the exceptional coordination with Sector San Juan watchstanders and the officer’s and crew of the Norwegian Escape,” said Lt. Marco Tinari, Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilot. “We are glad we could assist this American Veteran.”
Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan coordinated with the Norwegian Escape and dispatched a crew aboard a MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen to conduct the medevac just off Puerto Rico. The rescue helicopter arrived on scene and the crew deployed their rescue swimmer to the Norwegian Escape to assess the patient’s condition. The man and a cruise ship nurse were hoisted aboard the aircraft via the helicopter’s rescue basket.
The patient and nurse were transported to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they were received by awaiting Emergency Medical Services personnel and transported by ambulance to the “Centro Medico” Hospital in San Juan.
The cruise ship was transiting from New York to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, when the incident was reported to the Coast Guard.
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