On September 24, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard medically evacuated a 32-year-old crew member from Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Allure of the Seas due to severe, chronic abdominal pain that could not be treated on board. The incident took place off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Details of the Rescue Operation
The medical evacuation request was received at approximately 8:00 p.m. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Air Station Borinquen in northwest Puerto Rico was deployed. The Allure of the Seas changed course south toward Air Station Borinquen to meet the rescuers about 50 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Rico. A
precision hoist operation was executed to lift the patient from the cruise ship.
Patient Transfer and Hospital Care
The crew member was transported by helicopter to Air Station Borinquen. From there, local ambulance services took the patient to Hospital Buen Samaritano in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, for higher level medical care.
Official Comments and Operational Significance
Cmdr. Zachery Geyer, Coast Guard Sector San Juan search and rescue mission coordinator, said, “This successful mission highlights the vital importance of our interagency partnerships and the close collaboration we maintain with commercial vessel medical teams.” He added, “The rapid communication between our watchstanders, Air Station Miami’s flight surgeon, our tactical aircrew and the cruise
ship’s officers and crew ensured we could meet a tight time-to-care window and safely deliver this patient to a hospital to receive the higher level of care he needed.”
No public statement about the incident has been issued by Royal Caribbean. No direct impact on passengers was reported during the rescue operation.
Weeks prior, multiple medical emergencies on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas required that ship to return to Nassau for passengers to receive shore-based hospital care.
