Cruise & maritime incidents

MSC Orchestra passenger medevac operation was carried out on 31 December 2025, after a 56-year-old woman reportedly suffered a cerebrovascular stroke while the ship was sailing through the Gulf of Asinara off Sardinia, Italy.

ms Rotterdam norovirus outbreak affected 81 passengers and 8 crew during a Panama Canal voyage reported in January 2026.

Britannia propulsion fault forced the cruise ship to return to Barbados on 2 January 2026, after passengers were told that the planned St Lucia calls would be canceled.

Viking Sky coast guard medevac rescued a passenger off Mexico on 1 January 2026, after the woman reportedly sustained a serious leg injury.

ms Nieuw Statendam passenger overboard incident on 1 January 2026, triggered an approximately eight-hour search near Cuba after a 77-year-old female passenger went overboard.

Mein Schiff 3 medevac rescued three passengers south of Madeira during the late hours of 1 January 2026, after the ship requested medical assistance.

Celebrity Equinox medevac diverted an Antarctic voyage to King George Island on 10 January 2026, so a passenger could be transferred for medical reasons.

Star of the Seas medical emergency was reported on 16 January 2026, during the ship’s voyage from Sint Maarten toward Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States.