Passenger Medevac’d After Serious Injury on ms Westerdam Near Da Năng – 11 December 2025

On 11 December 2025, Holland America Line's ms Westerdam conducted an urgent medical evacuation near Da Năng, Vietnam, after a 69-year-old German passenger sustained severe injuries in a fall down a stairway. The vessel was approximately 32 nautical miles northeast of Sơn Trà Cape when the incident occurred in the early hours of the morning. The passenger was transferred ashore at Tiên Sa Port, Da Năng at approximately 04:30 a.m. local time for emergency hospital treatment.

The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (VMRCC) coordinated the response, instructing Westerdam to proceed at full speed toward Da Năng despite rough seas and northeasterly winds. Vietnamese rescue teams and port authorities were standing by upon arrival to facilitate the rapid transfer.

The passenger fell down a stairway in the early hours of December 11 while the ship was underway. The ship's doctor provided immediate first aid and assessed the passenger with spleen injuries and suspected internal bleeding, indicating a critical condition beyond the vessel's medical capacity. The captain requested urgent assistance from VMRCC, and the vessel was directed to proceed at full speed toward Da Năng. At approximately 03:27 a.m. local time, a pilot boat rendezvoused with the ship to assist with port entry. Upon arrival at Tiên Sa Port around 04:30 a.m., Vietnamese rescue teams and port authorities transferred the injured passenger directly to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

Affected passenger

• 69-year-old German national

Other passengers

• No other passengers reported injured in connection with the incident.

Fatalities

• None reported.

Injuries

• 1 passenger sustained spleen injuries and suspected internal bleeding from a fall down a stairway.

Rescued

• The injured passenger was transferred ashore and transported directly to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre coordinated the response in conjunction with Westerdam's master and ship's doctor. Despite rough seas with northeasterly winds and moderate wave conditions, the vessel was instructed to proceed at full speed toward Da Năng. A pilot boat assisted with port entry at approximately 03:27 a.m. local time. Vietnamese rescue teams, port authorities, and the ship's local agent were standing by at Tiên Sa Port upon arrival to facilitate the rapid transfer of the injured passenger.

The ship's itinerary was not altered following the emergency stop. Subsequent port calls proceeded as scheduled after the medevac was completed.