U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Woman from Cruise Ship

On the 23rd of October, a 57-year-old woman suffered a medical emergency On Board the Carnival Splendor Cruise Ship near Norfolk, VA. The crew alerted the U.S. Coast Guard which flew in on a helicopter to assist.

Watch the following video to see the action caught on camera:

Costa Concordia Salvage

Two years after the Costa Concordia flipped over the coast of Tuscany, engineers would attempt today to salvage the disastrous cruise ship, which lays half-sunk and crushed over the reef. The accident caused the death of 32 people out of  the 4.200 passengers on board while many others suffered severe injuries. 

Now the goal is to pull out the ship without causing any damage to the environmentally protected waters of Giglio Island.

What is considered to be the challenge and the difficult part of the engineers is towing it away in one piece, as a 115.000 ton vessel in its spot may damage the area. This historic process is going to be divided in two steps: parbucking and re-floating. The steps are said to be really difficult and risky, as the attempt has never been tested out in such a large vessel.

According to the Italian Government, this process is expected to take from at least 8 hours to 2 days! However, the process, scheduled to start earlier today, has been delayed due to weather difficulties.

Cruise ships pick up illegal immigrants and fishermen around the world

Cruise ships have always played their part in maritime safety, diverting to rescue lost souls across the world’s oceans, but over the last few days three cruise ships have rescued fishermen and migrants in three separate incidents.

In Asia, it is reported that SuperStar Aquarius assisted Taiwan Coast Guard to rescue six fishermen in Taiwan waters, with all the fishermen wearing life jackets and floating in the sea.

SuperStar Aquarius is reported to have arrived at the scene, sheltering the group from wind and swell as they were safely picked up by Taiwan Coast Guard, after which SuperStar Aquarius resumed her itinerary, sailing to Yonagumi.

Continue reading:  etravelblackboard.com.au

Cruise ship rescues 5 Jamaican boaters from small boat drifting for 3 weeks

By Associated Press, Tuesday, December 18, 4:40 AM

MIAMI — Five Jamaicans who said they had been drifting on a small boat in the Caribbean for three weeks were rescued Monday by a cruise ship, authorities said.

The Island Princess ship brought the group on board, Princess Cruises spokeswoman Susanne Ferrull said. Ferrull did not immediately know the boat passengers’ conditions or ages.

The Island Princess left Fort Lauderdale a week ago and was scheduled to arrive Tuesday in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Continue reading and view picture at:  washingtonpost.com

Cruise ship rescues local sailors

Photo from Turnto10news.com

As Reported by Turn10ten.com, a Norweigan Cruise ship saves sailors and at the end, saved his vessel...
Mario Hilario reports. . .

"A drift at sea, a local skipper has his sailboat back after his crew had to be rescued from the open ocean.

Several videos have been posted on YouTube of a dramatic rescue at sea. The Norwegian Star cruise ship came to rescue the crew of the 41-foot sloop Avenir.

Joe Murray of Bristol is the boat’s owner. He had completed the famed Newport to Bermuda race then flew home. He had a crew take his sailboat back but the trip home was not smooth. The sailors hit rough weather and rough seas."

To read more and view video, go to:   turnto10news.com

"Seabiscuit" Yacht Ill Sailor Rescued by Royal Caribbean

A sailor has been evacuated from a boat racing in the Newport Bermuda Race due to his medical condition.

At approximately 3 a.m. (EDT) on Monday, June 18, Nathan C. Owen (Norwell, Mass.), who was reported to be suffering from complications from dehydration, was transferred from his 46-foot sloop Seabiscuit to a cruise ship, Enchantment of the Sea. The rescue occurred 200 miles northwest of Bermuda in rough seas.

To read more of this story, go to:  bermudarace.com

Allure of the Seas Once Again Rescues Cubans out at Sea

June 11, 2012, Allure of the Seas rescues Cubans found out at sea on a yellow raft.  Last year in May 2011, Allure of the Seas had rescued another group of Cubans.  This is a common situation in the Caribbean as for many years, they Cubans have learned the ships itineraries and dare to get out as far as they can in order to be found by the ships sailing by.   We all understand their plight and want to find a better life; however, changes of them remaining in the states is rare.
   The above video I found on youtube.com from WSVN News 7 in Miami.

Disney Cruise Ship Picks Up Refugees

Adam Coulter of Cruise Critic reports that Disney's Fantasy takes on men found in waters . . . 

"A Disney cruise ship picked up four men found adrift on a small raft near Key West, Florida. 

Disney Fantasy boarded the men -– who are believed to be Cuban refugees -- while sailing from Florida to Grand Cayman on Sunday 27 May. 

The men, who were spotted signalling for help, were brought aboard the ship and provided with medical attention, food and water, according to a statement from Disney. 

What will happen to the men once they arrive on Grand Cayman remains unclear. In an e-mail to Cruise Critic, a spokesperson from Disney addressed the future of the men indirectly, saying, "We have notified the U.S. Coast Guard of this rescue and we are working with the proper authorities to coordinate the debarkation of the group ... It would be up to those authorities to determine next steps."   To continue reading, go to:

   cruisecritic.com

Passenger Rescued from Norweigan Gem, Returns to New York

NEW YORK -- New York City police officers linked up with a cruise ship that was already underway in the waters near the Verrazano Bridge to get to a 60-year-old man who needed medical attention.

Police said the passenger on the Norwegian Gem had become disoriented Saturday evening after falling and hitting his head.

NYPD officers in a boat patrolling the area were notified. They decided to do a transfer - while the vessels were still moving. The police boat came up alongside the cruise ship, and the man was transferred.

Authorities said he was taken to a hospital on Staten Island, where he is in stable condition.

Directly and fully quoted from, Source: abclocal.go.com

Maritime New Zealand: Svitzer Makes Good Progress on Rena Salvage

Picture from Maritime New Zealand

Reported in The Martime Executive website, Svitzer continues to make needed progress in removing debris of the Rena Wreck:

"Svitzer has continued to make good progress removing containers and debris from the Rena wreck over the past week.

Salvage
Salvors have been cutting into containers to allow contents to be removed using the heavy lift helicopter. ·
Salvors have also this week focused on cutting up hatch covers and removing them from the wreck. ·
Favourable weather conditions have allowed dive operations around the stern section to locate and remove bags of debris from the sea bed around the wreck.
At Astrolabe Reef, there are currently moderate W-SW winds, which are expected to persist through until Monday morning. There are swells of around 1m at the reef.

For those interested in more on the Container and Debris Recovery, go to:  maritime-executive.com

Statement on Star Princess Regret

Princess Cruises deeply regrets that two Panamanian men perished at sea after their boat became disabled in early March. Since we became aware of this incident, we have been investigating circumstances surrounding the claim that Star Princess failed to come to the aid of the disabled boat, after a crew member was alerted by passengers.

The preliminary results of our investigation have shown that there appeared to be a breakdown in communication in relaying the passenger's concern. Neither Captain Edward Perrin nor the officer of the watch were notified. Understandably, Captain Perrin is devastated that he is being accused of knowingly turning his back on people in distress. Had the Captain received this information, he would have had the opportunity to respond.

We all understand that it is our responsibility and also the law of the sea to provide assistance to any vessel in distress, and it is not an uncommon occurrence for our ships to be involved in a rescue at sea. In fact, we have done so more than 30 times in the last ten years.

We deeply regret this incident and are continuing our investigation to fully understand the circumstances.

Source:  princesscruises.com

Oceanwide Says Stranded Passengers Transferred to Rescue Ship

As reported in Travel Pulse by Theresa Norton Masek, "Oceanwide Expeditions said 74 passengers and 21 crew members were safely transferred from its stranded ship at South Georgia Island onto another ship and are en route to Montevideo, Uruguay. “Everybody is safe and well,” the company said. The tug boat is proceeding into King Edward Cove to tow the boat, Plancius, to another port where repairs can be made. . ."

To read more, go to:  travelpulse.com

Royal Caribbean Assists Fishing Boat Distress

A first hand and exclusive report on Cruise Critic states that . . . "Royal Caribbean's 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas came to the aid of a fishing boat dead in the water near the Caymans on Wednesday.

Travel writer and regular Cruise Critic contributor David Molyneaux witnessed the event, which occurred yesterday afternoon as the ship was steaming for Cozumel. "Captain Trym Selvag stopped Oasis and sent two engineers to fix the problem (after a security team checked out the fishing boat)," Molyneaux wrote in an e-mail to Cruise Critic. "The Captain said Oasis' crew provided the fishing boat with a fresh battery, fresh water, and got the engine working again." 

Read more of the story and view pictures at:  cruisecritic.com

Distressed Fishermen, Sinking Ships, Fires and Captain's Responsibility

I am reluctant to post negative or sad stories as it results in more blows to the cruise industry which involves the variety of incidents which make up our lives living-at-sea.  There is an incredible amount of curiosity and fascination concerning the sea that has actually grown over the years since the days of the Titanic.  We want to get into the lives of those who live on board. We want to figure out how and why they do it and know the intimate stories of their life's histories.  As a passenger on board, we want to feel the freedom that comes with being on deck feeling the salty air blowing over our faces and view the pristine waters surrounding the vessel.  All this, to remind us that we are able to relax and leave our cares behind.

      As I have said in the past, one of the most worrisome and stressful parts of being a Master Captain on board any ship is, making that "one" wrong decision.  Even if someone else makes it, at the end of the day, it is on the captain's back. This is the responsibility they take when signing the papers upon boarding a vessel - it is their ship, it is under their command - the ultimate responsibility.  With these mega-sized ships, there is no question that the captain is busy 24/7 and works on each issue as it presents itself; solving a number of issues from the minute he is on board until the minute he walks off.

     That 'one' wrong decision made by a captain varies in reasons depending on a variety of circumstances I will give three widely different situations. One story in recent years is about the superb career of the captain on the Queen Mary 2 who resigned due to a situation that slowed the vessel and caused a number of missed ports; however, though the event was costly, I did not agree with his retirement, he had an amazing career that spanned years of history and is to be commended for his incredible service.

     Next, we come upon the captain of the Concordia who indeed made that 'one' wrong decision which changed the course of his career in a horrible light causing death to innocent passengers and sadness their extended families. I guarantee if the captain could turn back time, he would; thus, not taking the risk that he did. Ultimately, time cannot be turned back and he faces the results of decisions made.  The trial continues and more comments will be made upon the results.

    With fires, emergency evacuations, fights, engine problems, port strikes, extreme weather and more, life for the Captain is anything but dull.  Now the Captain of the Star Princess is under scrutiny for that 'one' decision to continue sailing onward when three fishermen were out at sea without engine, drifting and far out to sea.  Until Princess Cruises and the investigative teams conclude their research, we do not have the full story of what the captain was dealing with and how he came to his decision.   It too, was reported that one of the three had passed away the day the ship passed by, these are speculations that help to make for story.  There is no way of knowing if this fisherman would have lived or died if they ship had saved them as it depends on his condition of already having been drifting for two weeks.  The remaining fisherman had rolled out the bodies to rest at sea. I am wondering his decision of why he felt that he had to do this.  Unless the bodies are recovered, exact timing and other details are difficult to know.  I was saddened as well, when I read that even the U.S. Coast Guard and other rescue units were unable to locate them when the passenger had reported it further.   Bad circumstance all around and a sad story reported.

    The worst part of writing for me, is when it is a negative story that results in a dreadful end.  Always our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all concerned in each event.

Those who want to read more of the events of the fishermen, go to:    cruiselawnews.com   

Disappointment for Cuban Refugees

A recent rescue by Royal Caribbean's "Oasis of the Seas" was instructed by United States Coast Guard to take the 23 rescued Cubans to Mexico and hand them over to their Local Authorities.

Many of the Caribbean based cruise ships have rescued a number of Cubans over the years, however, this for me is the first time I hear they are to turn them over to Mexican Authorities, doesn't mean it hasn't been done, it is just for me personally, it is the first time I have heard of this.  I have been on three ships where we picked up Cuban Refugees and in saying that, we were headed for Florida as our next stop; for the "Oasis of the Seas", their next port of call was Cozumel, this is the logic disembarkation point for the disappointed Cubans.

The U.S. follows a protocol when refugees are attempting to enter the U.S., if they get to the beach and able to step foot on the soil, they are detained, investigated and if there is family who are in the U.S., they are contacted; however, if the refugee is caught while still in water, they are then  sent back to the country of their departure.

Desperation for a better life put Cuban lives in danger when they dare themselves into a small boat and ride it out to sea.  Their hopes are high that a cruise ship will notice them.  However, international conventions requiring mariners to help ships in distress were designed for leisure or commercial craft, not refugee boats. The situations like this one and all the others in the past - were never envisaged. All the search-and-rescue rules are based on the assumption that the people being rescued, need rescuing, and, are not asylum seekers."

The requirement of ships to go to assist a vessel in distress was treasured both in tradition and in international treaties, one of those treaties is the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, created 1974. There has been no distinction between "yachties" on solo trips around the world and boats carrying asylum seekers. The Cubans, in general, do know when the ships are due to sail past. Whether it is good or bad weather, they will do their best to get out there and be seen.  

Coast Guard Rescue's Woman off Cruise Ship

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — "A Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew medevaced a 47-year-old woman off a cruise ship approximately 115 miles northeast of Cape Henry Friday night.

The captain of the cruise ship Norwegian Jewel contacted Coast Guard watchstanders at approximately 5 p.m. reporting they had a woman with abdominal pains who was in need of medical attention.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. were dispatched to the scene...."

Read more of the story at:  wtkr.com

Canadian Woman Goes Missing on Celebration Cruise

February 29th, 2012, it has been reported through several venues that a 47 year old Canadian woman went missing after Celebration Cruise Lines left Freeport, Bahamas to return to Palm Beach, FL.  

The woman was last seen this past Tuesday Evening after her boyfriend stated that he had seen her in front of the gift shop around 8pm; he was then headed to the casino.  At 1am, he felt tired and returned to the cabin to sleep.  Upon waking, not seeing his girlfriend, he thought she might be at breakfast. He walked to find her, but never located her and reported it to the officials of the ship.

The ship was searched twice with no trace of the woman.  Crew members knew she was on board from Freeport as the passenger identification cards have to be swept when leaving or returning to the vessel.

According to ABC, Charles Kinnear, President of the Celebration Cruise Line, has stated that the have given authorities all necessary information of the ships whereabouts from the Bahamas to Florida and is still hoping that by some chance, she was able to sneak off the ship and is okay.

Coast Guard has since Thursday called off their search as search and rescue covered 7,300 square miles of territory between Freeport, Bahamas to the Port of Palm Beach. The search had covered 84 hours of man power.  Air search was also conducted in hopes to find the woman.

The Coast Guard has called off its search for a woman believed to have gone overboard on a Bahamas cruise.

Search and rescue crews trolled the waters between Freeport, Bahamas, and the Port of Palm Beach in Florida for about 84 hours, covering an area of nearly 7,300 square miles. They also did air searches to try and spot the woman from above.

They ended their search Thursday night.

Source:  abcnews.go.com and heraldtribune.com

Crew Member Saved After Jumping Overboard

According to a report from Cruise Critic, U.K. Web Content Producer, Jamey Bergman, a crew member who had jumped from the Carnival Magic was indeed rescued and returned to the vessel.

To read more of this story, go to:  cruisecritic.com

Seabourn Odyssey Rescues Three Men Adrift in the Pacific Ocean

Seabourn Odyssey  rescue posted on blog.seabourn.com

Sea-travel is an entity all its own. Seafarers are a specially bonded community of people who are watching out for each other's backs. Traveling at sea creates a knowing that ships and boats are out there who are vigilantly observing everything around them.  The unexpected crises can happen at any time, any where.  Recently just that kind of story came about when three fishermen found themselves drifting miles away from land in the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

Seabourn Odyssey's bridge officers vigilantly viewing their surrounds spotted 'something' on the horizon.  .

Seabourn Blog states:

"On Sunday evening, February 19, Seabourn Odyssey was sailing the Pacific Ocean some 150 miles southwest of Pago Pago, America Samoa, when the portside bridge watch spotted something in the distance. Captain Mark Dexter found no missing vessel reports, but wondered why this boat would be so far from land. He deviated from his course to investigate further and spotted a small boat adrift some miles away from the ship. As they drew closer, they saw three men jumping and frantically waving their clothing, clearly trying to catch the attention of Seabourn Odyssey. The ship deployed one of its rescue boats and, after determining that they were no threat, rescued three fishermen who had been lost at sea for nearly three weeks! The crew transferred them to the rescue boat and took them to the ship, where they were immediately checked out by the ship’s doctor. While they were dehydrated, hungry and had a few skin sores from the sun, the three men were in surprisingly good health considering they had been drifting at sea for weeks."

Passengers on board were kept abreast of the story during its unfolding by announcement from the bridge by the Captain.

For more of the story and more photographs go to:  blog.seabourn.com

Source: blog.seabourn.com

Dramatic Video: Princess Cruise Ship Scoops Up Sailors During Midnight Rescue Mission

(8:25 a.m. EST) -- Passengers on Princess Cruises' 113,000-ton, 3,080-passenger Ruby Princess witnessed a dramatic rescue on Monday in the Bahamas.

Close to midnight, as the ship was sailing through the Bahamas en route to St Maarten, the ship's officers picked up a distress call from a trimaran that had lost navigational power and was drifting, with three French nationals on board.

Ruby Princess changed course and put down a lifeboat, which picked up the three sailors. Hundreds of passengers and crew witnessed the rescue, which was recorded by passenger Anton Anderssen from Michigan (with thanks to cruise blogger Captain Greybeard for alerting us to this video).

A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises in the U.K. told Cruise Critic that none of the three had required medical attention, and that the U.S. Coastguard and Bahamian authorities had been notified. Ruby Princess arrived in St Maarten on schedule.

Here's how the rescue unfolded:

--by Sue Bryant, Cruise Critic Contributing Editor

Source: cruisecritic.com