During a Western Caribbean voyage, a large cruise vessel responded to a humanitarian situation at sea while en route to a scheduled port call at Cozumel, Mexico.
On February 16th, Carnival Celebration, operated by CCL-Carnival Cruise Line, encountered a small boat in distress within international waters. Crew members altered the course to address the developing situation and, in accordance with established maritime practice, conducted a rescue operation that resulted in five individuals being brought safely aboard.
CCL notified and coordinated with the USCG/Coast Guard, which provided guidance during the rescue process.
Details about the identities of those rescued or the specific cause of the vessel’s distress were not disclosed.
Observers of the incident noted that the boat appeared improvised and was taking on water at the time of the recovery, prompting the ship’s intervention.
Carnival Celebration departed Miami on February 15th for a 7-day Western Caribbean itinerary that included calls at Roatan Island in Honduras and CCL's private destination in the Bahamas, Celebration Key, and ending in Miami on February 22nd.
The action undertaken by the ship reflects long-standing international legal obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which requires masters of vessels to assist persons in peril at sea without serious danger to the rescuing ship, its crew or its passengers, and to do so with all possible speed.
For more Carnival Celebration incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page.