The Carnival Dream is being credited for rescuing 39 Cuban migrants that were in trouble on a small boat. The Carnival cruise ship was heading to Jamaica on Wednesday night when the small boat was spotted.
The 3,646-passenger cruise ship, which recently became the largest cruise to establish a year-round port in New Orleans, was in the middle of a seven day cruise to the Caribbean when officials spotted the distressed vessel. The crew rescued 39 people including 34 males and five females. They were brought on board and were treated by medical staff and were given food, water and clothing, Nola.com reports.
The U.S. Coast Guard was alerted of the rescue and sent a fast-response cutter to take over custody of the migrants. The cruise ship picked up the migrants in the Florida Straits, which is a common ocean route between Cuba and Florida.
The Carnival Dream isn't the only ship to make such a rescue recently. In March, another Carnival ship, Carnival Ecstasy, was on its way to the Bahamas when it rescued 41 Cuban migrants that were adrift in a smell boat that seemed to be taking on water. A week before that rescue, the Norwegian Pearl rescued 24 Cuban migrants from a small wooden boat near Key West.
Carnival Gulliksen says while it my seem that these rescues are becoming more frequent, cruise ships haven't performed any more rescues than usual.
"It happens from time, but we haven't noticed that more rescues are happening now than they have in the past," Gulliksen told NOLA.com. "Carnival has a longstanding tradition of aiding different types of mariners and vessels in distress."
He added that the Carnival Valor rescued five adults for a yacht that was sinking during a storm near St. Maarten. Two deck officers were injured during the rescue.
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