In a commendable demonstration of maritime experience and humanitarian motion, Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, turned the centerpiece of a high-seas rescue operation off the coast of Honduras.
Maritime Miracle
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, which solely simply launched its maiden voyage on January 27, 2024, shifted roles from luxurious liner to rescue vessel upon encountering 14 people stranded at sea for eight days.
The operation unfolded within the early hours of a “7-Evening Western Cruise” itinerary by means of the Caribbean. Because the solar rose over the horizon on March 3, 2024, a lookout aboard the ship noticed a small, inadequately outfitted raft bobbing aimlessly within the huge blue expanse.
With out hesitation, Captain Henrik Loy and crew initiated a well-coordinated rescue operation, certain by the Worldwide Conference for the Security of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
Regulation 33 of Chapter V states, “A grasp of a ship at sea, which is able to be capable of present help on receiving a sign from any supply that individuals are in misery at sea, is certain to proceed with all velocity to their help.”
Icon of the Seas crew, collaborating with the U.S. Coast Guard, offered fast medical care to stabilize the refugees’ situations after days of publicity to the weather.
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean informed CruiseHive, “On March 3, 2024, Icon of the Seas encountered a small vessel adrift and in want of help. The ship’s crew instantly launched a rescue operation, safely bringing 14 folks onboard. The crew offered them with medical consideration, and is working carefully with the U.S. Coast Guard.“
In line with a neighborhood media outlet, Icon of the Seas transported the refugees to its subsequent port of name, Roatan, Honduras, the place the Service provider Navy of Honduras met the ship.
The Honduran information supply reported that the migrants had been hopeful they’d be allowed to be transported to the U.S.
A Legacy of Maritime Help
Whereas the latest rescue operation by Icon of the Seas stands out as a result of vessel’s stature, rescues at sea usually are not unusual within the cruise trade.
Simply three weeks earlier than Icon’s mission, Carnival Celebration, operated by Carnival Cruise Line, got here to the help of 20 Cuban refugees dealing with misery within the Florida Straits. The ship’s crew offered meals and water to these in want till the U.S. Coast Guard’s Key West sector arrived.
In January, Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Woman rescued 18 Cuban refugees from a sinking boat within the Caribbean.
That is additionally not the primary time a Royal Caribbean ship has rescued passengers within the Caribbean. In January 2023, Liberty of the Seas executed the same rescue, saving 17 Cuban refugees discovered adrift in a small raft because it was en path to The Bahamas.
Persevering with a Groundbreaking Voyage
Icon of the Seas, launched by Royal Caribbean Worldwide, has rapidly ascended to the forefront of maritime achievement because the world’s largest cruise ship.
The ship, which measures a formidable 1,198 toes from bow to stern and weighs 250,800 gross tons, is homeported in Miami. It’s spending its first season and most of 2024 and 2025 within the Caribbean.
With a capability to host 7,600 passengers, Icon of the Seas sails a sequence of 7-night roundtrip voyages between Miami and the Western and Japanese Caribbean.
Its present cruise, which started on March 2, 2024, made its first port of name in Roatan after the rescue was made.
Icon of the Seas proceeded to run its course, touring to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. The ship will spend time at Royal Caribbean’s non-public island, Excellent Day at Coco Cay within the Bahamas earlier than circling again to Miami on March 9, 2024.
