Four Passengers Evacuated from Quantum of the Seas in 24 Hours

New Caledonian rescue teams carried out an unusual series of four medical evacuations from Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas within a single 24-hour period—an event rarely seen in maritime operations.

The first emergency occurred on Wednesday, March 5, when the New Caledonia Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center (COSS-NC) was informed of a sick passenger aboard the 5,400-passenger cruise ship, which was sailing between Vanuatu and Brisbane.

After a remote medical consultation, doctors determined the passenger required hospital care. As a result, the ship altered its course toward Nouméa, where two Australian passengers were evacuated just after midnight.

However, the medical emergencies didn’t stop there. As Quantum of the Seas resumed its voyage, another passenger, a New Zealand national, required urgent evacuation on Thursday morning. Shortly after, yet another passenger from New Zealand fell ill and was also transported ashore for medical treatment.

Although the four incidents were unrelated, the wave of evacuations was reminiscent of a similar event in mid-February, when three Australian passengers also had to be medically evacuated from the same ship.

At the time of the incidents, Quantum of the Seas was operating a 7-night South Pacific cruise, which departed Brisbane on February 28 and was scheduled to return on March 7.