P&O Cruises’ Ship Alters Course to Evacuate Ailing Guest
P&O Cruises is in the middle of celebrating the 10th anniversary of its flagship, Britannia, but one guest is no longer onboard to take part in the festivities.
The cruise ship only just embarked on a special 14-night British Isles sailing from Southampton, UK, on June 6, 2025, to celebrate 10 years of service for the 143,730-gross ton ship – which first entered service on March 14, 2015.
But on the evening of June 8, 2025, one of the up to 3,600 passengers onboard had to make an unexpected departure due to a medical emergency – although the cruiser’s identity and the nature of their condition has not been disclosed for privacy reasons.
In fact, cruise tracking data shows that the ship actually altered course and made an unplanned port call at the Port of Nigg in the Scottish Highlands to transfer the guest to the Scottish Ambulance service for further care.
When the situation unfolded, the ship was only on its way to the first port of call on the itinerary, which was on Invergordan, Scotland, on June 9, 2025.
Because of the adjusted route, the vessel sailed into the Cromarty Firth early – which is an inlet in the narrow Moray Firth in northern Scotland that ships must sail through to reach Invergordon – and also docked in Invergordon ahead of schedule.
“I can confirm that Britannia arrived early into Invergordon to ensure that a guest received appropriate, necessary medical care,” a P&O spokesperson told The Inverness Courier, a local news outlet.
“Britannia is on a 14 night British Isles cruise which left Southampton on Friday,” they continued.
It’s unclear if the remaining guests onboard were allowed to go ashore early in the Scottish destination – and the rest of the itinerary was unaffected by the surprise disembarkation.
Before returning to Southampton on June 20, 2025, Britannia will visit Kirkwall (Orkney Island), Scotland; Stornoway (Isle of Lewis and Harris), Scotland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Liverpool, England; and Cobh-Cork, Ireland.
Why Was There Not an Airlift Rescue?
In critical situations at sea when time is of the essence, the most efficient way to rescue an ailing guest is often by coordinating an airlift with the local coast guard.
While sailing around Scotland, the aid would come from members of His Majesty’s Coast Guard – which is responsible for responding to maritime emergencies throughout the entirety of the United Kingdom.
However, the coast guard may not respond if the ship is too far out at sea, inclement weather conditions, and availability of resources to complete the rescue.
As the cruise ship was able to make it into the Port of Nigg pretty quickly, it’s also possible that simply making an unplanned stop was actually faster than waiting to rendezvous with a coast guard helicopter.
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The approximately 1,400 crew members onboard P&O Cruises’ Britannia are also highly trained in emergency protocols – which they practice in mandatory routine drills – and have played a big part in rescue efforts in the past.
In March of 2023, the crew acted as heroes while sailing off the coast of St. Kitt’s as part of a repositioning sailing to England. The ship stopped to aid an overcrowded, sinking vessel – saving 16 lives in the process.
However, the most recent airlift in Europe actually unfolded just about a month ago on May 14, 2025, onboard Disney Fantasy.
A military helicopter rendezvoused with the DCL ship while she was en route to Lisbon, Portugal – conducting an impressive airlift in just 6 minutes and 25 seconds.