Viking Venus makes swift return to Invergordon after passenger takes unwell
A CRUISE liner made a quicker than scheduled return to an Easter Ross port after a passenger fell ill.
The Viking Venus had left Invergordon on Friday evening after berthing in the deep water port earlier in the day to allow passengers the option of a variety of shore visits.
However the alarm was raised when a passenger became unwell and the Invergordon RNLI lifeboat was launched at around 7.15pm.
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The Shannon Class Lifeboat RNLB Agnes AP Barr was launched as volunteer crew were tasked with helping to assess the situation.
Two casualty trained crew boarded the vessel and consulted with the liner’s medical team and requested the assistance of Rescue 151 HM Coastguard Helicopter to extract the patient as the quickest and safest means possible.
The RNLI said later: “The vessel made its way back to safe haven of the Cromarty Firth and the casualty was airlifted and received medical care required at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.”
The lifeboat was made ready for service by 10:30pm.
The Viking Cruises vessel has space for up to 930 passengers and 460 crew. She was launched in 2021 and is described as a state-of-the-art ocean ship.
HM Coastguard said it was made aware of an unwell passenger on a cruise liner just before 650pm on Friday.
It said: “The passenger was taken to Raigmore Hospital by coastguard helicopter.
“Invergordon RNLI lifeboat, Inverness Coastguard Rescue Team and Scottish Ambulance Service also attended.”
A Viking spokesperson said: “We can confirm that an individual experienced a medical incident and was transported from the ship via helicopter to receive hospital care in Invergordon. The ship then resumed its journey to Lerwick.”