Video: MSC Containership Locates Overboard Cruise Passenger After 20 Hours

Passenger was rescued after going overboard from the cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International)

The Hellenic Coast Guard released the details of a miraculous rescue of a passenger who had jumped overboard from a cruise ship in the Ionian Sea west of Piraeus. The reports say the woman was in the water for up to 20 hours, but was found conscious and suffering from a mild case of hypothermia.

Passengers aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Odyssey of the Seas (167,704 GT) were informed of the incident early on Saturday, October 10. The cruise ship had departed Mykonos and was traveling to Naples when the incident occurred.

The female passenger, who was identified as a 44-year-old woman from El Salvador, appears to have jumped around 0600 on October 9. The Bahamas-flagged cruise ship, which is 1,138 feet (347 meters) in length, carries approximately 4,200 passengers. It was approximately 72 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos.

The circumstances of the overboard incident have not been reported. However, the woman had a life preserver from the cruise ship. Unconfirmed reports said she grabbed the life preserver and apparently went over the side of the cruise ship at around 0600.

The cruise ship commenced a search, circling the area. The Hellenic Coast Guard dispatched two patrol boats and a helicopter, while the Hellenic Air Force also deployed a plane for the search. The Coast Guard also altered vessels in the area.

The MSC Rossella III (38,771 dwt) spotted the flashing light attached to a lifering early on Saturday morning. The 2,700 TEU containership was sailing from Piraeus to Giola Tauro, Italy, when it spotted what it believed could be the individual in the water. It immediately alerted the Coast Guard.

A Coast Guard patrol boat found the woman with the information from the containership and provided first aid. She was transported to shore and taken to a hospital.

Unconfirmed reports from passengers aboard the cruise said the woman was traveling with family members. The cruise was forced to cancel a scheduled port call in Naples to participate in the search for the missing passenger.