The Carnival Vista assisted and rescued six individuals stranded at sea close to the Dominican Republic after their cargo vessel overturned Tuesday night.
Carnival Vista was sailing to Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic when the incident occurred.
Carnival said in a news brief, “Carnival Vista’s officers under the direction of Captain Paolo Severini immediately altered the ship’s course, in coordination with Carnival’s Fleet Operations Center in Miami, when an onboard monitoring system received an emergency alert. The ship’s officers then spotted six men on a life raft and stopped to rescue them and bring them on board.”
After informing the Dominican Republic’s Coast Guard about the remaining unaccounted-for crew members, a search operation was initiated. The Carnival Vista was then advised to resume its original course.
The ship is continuing on its six-day itinerary and plans to stop in Amber Cove today as initially planned. Carnival Vista’s home port is in Port Canaveral, Florida, and sails weekly Caribbean voyages.
Details on how or why the ship capsized were not released at the time of publication.
Second Cargo Ship Rescue in 2023
Carnival Cruise Line’s sister brand, P&O Cruises, was also involved in a rescue a few months back. The P&O Iona diverted its course in the North Sea in October to assist in rescuing sailors from the sunken freighter Verity.
Initially bound for a European cruise, the Iona responded to a distress call after the Verity went down after a collision with another vessel.
The cruise ship’s crew joined search and rescue efforts alongside coast guard vessels, successfully rescuing two of the Verity’s crew members. The Iona then resumed its journey with the rescued sailors onboard, providing medical care and support until they could be transferred to authorities.
READ MORE: Carnival Cruise Line Ships by Size
