Cruise ships rescue two probable migrant groups off Florida’s coast, companies say
Two cruise ships on New Year’s voyages in the Caribbean encountered two separate probable migrant boats on Monday, stopping to assist the people onboard the vessels, who cruise lines say were in distress.
Crew on the Celebrity Beyond’s eight-day cruise around the Western Caribbean helped rescue 19 people in a small boat while on its way from Cozumel, Mexico, back to its home port in Fort Lauderdale, a company spokeswoman told the Miami Herald.
Separately, officials from Carnival Cruise Line said that the Carnival Celebration stopped to assist five others in a small vessel 25 nautical miles off the coast of Cuba. The Carnival Celebration was on its way back to PortMiami after the cruise’s last port of call in Roatan, Honduras
“In keeping with maritime international law, the ship’s crew immediately launched a rescue operation, safely bringing 19 people onboard,” Celebrity Beyond spokeswoman Susan Lomax said. “We are grateful for our crew’s quick action, and the lives saved as a result.”
An Instagram account for Captain Kate McCue of Celebrity Cruises shows the ship turning around to rescue the tiny boat packed with people. She said that the survivors were brought onboard and provided with blankets, a change of clothes, food, water and a medical checkup.
“I want to thank the crew of Celebrity Beyond,” the captain said in her video. “Because today, 19 people can live to see 2023.”
Around 500 Cubans have been spotted in or near the Florida Keys in the past week attempting to immigrate to the United States, according to federal authorities. On Tuesday, a boat carrying over 100 Haitians landed in Key Largo.
READ MORE: More than 100 Haitians land in Key Largo, just a day after Cuban migrants’ arrival
Authorities in the Florida Keys said that they were overwhelmed by the incoming migrants, who they say are waiting on the side of the Overseas Highway for federal authorities to pick them up and process their asylum cases.
READ MORE: Cuban migrant arrivals overwhelm federal immigration officials in the Florida Keys
Federal authorities didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
