The Pacific Explorer was forced to skip its final destination after a passenger suffered a serious medical emergency onboard.
Other guests onboard witnessed the patient being winched away by a military helicopter in a heroic rescue.
P&O’s Pacific Explorer had departed from Auckland on October 1 calling at Norfolk Island in Australia before visiting several ports in Vanuatu.
On Tuesday, October 8, the ship was anchored at Mystery Island where passengers were scheduled to disembark at 8:30am for a day before the ship was due to sail back to Auckland.
A passenger told The New Zealand Herald that 10 minutes before guests were due to disembark, the captain said a passenger had suffered a serious medical emergency and guests were no longer allowed off the ship.
The crew onboard the ship attempted to disembark the passenger with the help of authorities from Vanuatu and New Caledonia, and to send a helicopter or plane to Mystery Island to pick up the guest.
The attempt was unsuccessful and Pacific Explorer had to leave Mystery Island. The ship travelled seven hours to Mare where the French Army sent a military helicopter to take the passenger off the ship and to Noumea for medical treatment.
Footage was provided to the Herald capturing the dramatic incident taking place.
“Hundreds of people stood up on the top deck to get a view, but frankly, everyone was just hoping the person would be okay,” a passenger told the Herald.
“They gave us a wave as they got winched up and everyone started clapping and cheering.
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises Australia released a statement this morning after the rescue.
“Pacific Explorer cancelled a visit to Mystery Island yesterday (Tuesday) because a guest needed urgent medical attention. The guest was cared for by our onboard team until the medical evacuation could take place, off New Caledonia.
“We thank the authorities in New Caledonia for assisting us. We thank our guests for their understanding.
