Emergency at Sea: Military Helicopter Lands in Palermo After Cargo Ship "Catania" Reverses Course

Trapani, May 13, 2025 — An unusual incident occurred this morning involving the cargo ship Catania, operated by the Grimaldi Group, which suddenly reversed course while en route to La Goulette Nord, Tunisia. According to navigation data, the reversal took place at 07:48 UTC, when the vessel was already sailing through the Sicilian Channel on a heading of 31° at 8.6 knots.

The ship had departed from Palermo at 23:56 UTC on May 12, with an expected arrival at the Tunisian port scheduled for 11:00 UTC on May 13, but that plan was temporarily suspended.

During the maneuver, a military helicopter — an AgustaWestland AW-139 (MM82026) belonging to the Italian Air Force — was observed approaching the vessel. Identified as RIMA with squawk code 1751, the aircraft hovered over the cargo ship for several minutes, as confirmed by flight tracking data.

The helicopter then left the vessel and flew to mainland Sicily, landing at a hospital in Palermo, presumably for a medical evacuation. Following the intervention, the Catania resumed its course toward Tunisia, suggesting that the emergency had been resolved.

Although no official statements have been made about the nature of the emergency, a medical situation on board is strongly suspected.

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