Cruise Ship Rescues Six People From Atlantic Ocean

A Norwegian Cruise Line ship is being recognized for a good deed this week. The Norwegian Star rescued six people who were stranded on a sailboat Tuesday afternoon.

The 2,350 passenger ship was on its way to Bermuda after leaving New York for a week long cruise, when the captain got a message from the U.S. Coast Guard. Captain Kenneth Harstrom was olf that a sailing yacht had lost its rudder and was stranded as it lost steering capabilities. Captain Harstom turned the ship around and brought it to rescue those on the boat, according to Cruise Fever.

The Avenir, a 41-foot yacht, carrying six passengers was heading to Newport, Rhode Island from Bermuda when it lost its rudder 230 miles into the trip. The crew attempted to create a temporary rudder, but it failed. The crew members started to become very seasick and dehydrated, so the captain of the Avenir notified the Coast Guard and told them that they needed help.

The crew of the Norwegian Star worked together to hoist three men and three women from the Avenir. They used a safety raft to lift the passengers onto the ship.

Norwegian Cruise Line, like many ships, is connected to AMVER, an Automated mutual-assistance vessel rescue system that the U.S. Coast Guard uses to contact vessels in the area.

"The support the Coast Guard receives through the AMVER program is unprecedented," said Lt. Christopher Svencer, a Coast Guard 5th District watchstander. "Without their cooperation, offshore search and rescue cases like this would be impossible," quoted by Marine Link.

Rescues conducted by cruise ships are not rare. Just two weeks ago, Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas rescued a sailor on another racing yacht near Bermuda. In May, a Disney Cruise ship rescued four men who were stranded on a raft off the coast of Key West. In April, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas rescued 23 men who were stranded on a boat near the Cayman Islands.

However Princess Cruise Line is facing some criticism and lawsuits after they ignored a distress call and failed to rescue passengers on a Panamanian fishing boat. Two men on the boat died and one passenger was rescued by the Ecuadorian Navy two weeks after the Star Princess passed by.