Chris Helgren / Reuters
An Irish Coast Guard helicopter evacuates an ill passenger from the Titanic Memorial Cruise ship MS Balmoral on April 10 in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland.
It’s more rough waters for a cruise ship retracing the Titanic’s doomed voyage 100 years ago this month.
One day after the MS Balmoral arrived late for planned festivities on Ireland’s coast, the ship was forced to turn back Tuesday due to a medical emergency on board.
Rachael Jackson, public relations manager for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, which operates the Balmoral, told msnbc.com that a passenger had fallen ill.
“The ship is turning around and heading approximately 20 nautical miles east to bring it nearer to the coast and within reach of a helicopter,” the cruise line said in a statement. “Fred. Olsen and Titanic Memorial Cruises are working with the Irish Coastguard to co-ordinate the relevant arrangements, and making sure that all agencies involved are being kept informed.”
The ship, which departed Southampton, England, on Sunday, is currently traveling to New York. After a brief port call in Cobh on Ireland’s south coast, the Balmoral sailed again late Monday night.
The ship is carrying 1,309 passengers on a 12-night cruise. Among them are relatives of those who lost their lives, relatives of survivors and historians.
The Balmoral’s itinerary includes a memorial service at the spot where the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, in international waters in the North Atlantic. More than 1,500 people aboard perished.
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Miles Morgan, Managing Director of Miles Morgan Travel which chartered the journey, told Reuters that ”the passenger’s condition is not thought to be life-threatening.”
Meanwhile, the ship continued to be plagued by bad weather on Tuesday afternoon, forcing the cancellation of a floor show due to safety concerns for the performers.
The cruise has been five years in the making and organizers have tried to make it as authentic to the era as possible.
Passengers from 28 countries, who have paid between around 2,600 pounds ($4,100) and 8,000 pounds each, are being offered dishes served on the Titanic and on-board lectures about the famous ship.
The Balmoral was set to resume its voyage once the passenger was evacuated.
Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was included in this report.
More on Overhead Bin
- Titanic cruise delayed due to strong winds
- Cruise ships commemorate Titanic’s voyage
- Events mark 100th anniversary of Titanic’s sinking
- Ghostly new images of the Titanic revealed
- Full Titanic wreck site mapped for the first time
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