VIDEO: Cruise Ship With Ailing Passenger Headed to Maui

A Coast Guard aircrew from Air Station Barbers Point flew approximately 1,036 miles to airdrop a container of lifesaving blood to a cruise ship northeast of the Hawaiian islands Oct. 6, 2013. (Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Melissa McKenzie, courtesy US Coast Guard)
Correction: Article amended to reflect that the Lahaina stop was part of the cruise ship’s itinerary.
[flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgTlm1kqP5Q /] By Wendy Osher
A cruise ship with an ailing elderly passenger aboard is due to arrive at its scheduled stop in Lahaina, Maui on Tuesday, according to officials with the US Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard first received a request for medical assistance early Sunday morning from an on-board doctor who was treating a 70-year-old man for internal bleeding, officials said.
An aircrew from Air Station Barbers Point on Oʻahu responded by traveling 1,036 miles to the ship’s location, northeast of the Hawaiian Islands, according to Coast Guard reports.

Personnel aboard the cruise ship Oosterdam contacted the Coast Guard requesting medical assistance for an ailing passenger. (Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Melissa McKenzie, courtesy US Coast Guard)
Per flight surgeon recommendations, the Coast Guard crew utilized an HC-130 Hercules aircraft to drop six units of blood, a pack of platelets, and two transfusion kits via parachute to medical personnel aboard the Oosterdam vessel.
Coast Guard officials say they will maintain communication with the vessel until it arrives in Maui tomorrow.
The Oosterdam is a vessel that operates under the Holland America Line.
The ship is classified as a mid-size vessel, with the capacity to accommodate 1,916 passengers and more than 800 crew members, according to information posted on the company’s website.