- A 69-year-old passenger on the Westerdam sustained a splenic injury and suspected internal bleeding following a fall on a staircase.
- The ship was sailing in rough weather off the coast of Vietnam when the accident occurred, prompting an urgent medical evacuation.
- Vietnam’s Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center swiftly coordinated the ship’s expedited docking at Da Nang for the injured guest’s hospital transfer.
- The medical emergency did not cause any changes to the cruise ship’s extensive 27-night Far East itinerary.
A 69-year-old German male guest on Holland America Line’s Westerdam sustained a serious injury following a fall on a staircase during a 27-night Far East cruise. The incident occurred in the early hours of December 11, 2025, approximately 32 nautical miles northeast of the Son Tra Peninsula near Da Nang, Vietnam. Rough weather and rockier sea conditions at the time are suggested as potential contributing factors to the accident.
The passenger suffered a splenic injury and suspected internal bleeding, prompting the ship’s medical team to provide immediate first aid. As the guest’s condition deteriorated and required advanced care unavailable on the ship, the captain urgently requested assistance from Vietnam’s maritime agencies. The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (VMRCC) quickly coordinated the medical evacuation.
The VMRCC instructed the Westerdam, which was already scheduled to visit Da Nang, to proceed to the port at maximum speed. A pilot boat rendezvoused with the cruise ship shortly after 3:27 a.m., approximately an hour after the fall. By 4:30 a.m., the 1,964-guest vessel had docked at Da Nang’s Tien Sa Port, where local rescue teams were positioned to transfer the patient to a hospital for emergency treatment. The rapid and coordinated response by the ship’s crew, the VMRCC, and local port authorities was crucial in ensuring the passenger received timely medical attention. As of the time of the report, the remainder of the expansive Asian itinerary, which commenced in Singapore on November 23, 2025, remains unchanged.
