Video: Cruise Ship Saves Castaways on Raft in the Caribbean

In what appears to be a very lucky stroke of fate, a group of cataways was rescued by a large cruise ship early Sunday evening, September 28.  According to passengers posting on social media, ten individuals were rescued from their open raft somewhere west of Cuba and east of Mexico.

The 82,900 gross ton Enchantment of the Seas was cruising the Western Caribbean when, according to the reports, people from the raft used possibly flashlights to attract the attention of the bridge crew of the 990-foot (302-meter) cruise ship, which was sailing toward Costa Maya on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

 

 

It was around dusk, and the cruise ship stopped to investigate. One of the vessel’s tenders was lowered, and it approached the raft. The people were taken aboard and brought back to the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship. 

It was extra luck that the cruise ship was in the right place at the right moment. The Enchantment of the Seas, which accommodates more than 2,250 passengers, sails from the Port of Tampa and had been scheduled to proceed east to the Bahamas. However, with the mounting tropical storm, the cruise line rerouted the ship west to Costa Maya and Cozumel.

 

 

(Jeffrey Walker/Facebook)

 

In these situations, the cruise ship typically gives the people clean clothing, food, and water, and emergency medical treatment if required. The cruise ship notifies the local authorities. The people are often landed at the next port of call for repatriation.

Thanks to cruise passenger Jeffrey Walker, who was enjoying a trip with his family, for posting the pictures and videos online.