Book Your Next Amazing Cruise with Travel Leader, Jeffrey Cleary
In a commendable demonstration of maritime expertise and humanitarian action, Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, became the centerpiece of a high-seas rescue operation off the coast of Honduras.
Maritime Miracle
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, which only just launched its maiden voyage on January 27, 2024, shifted roles from luxury liner to rescue vessel upon encountering 14 individuals stranded at sea for eight days.
The operation unfolded in the early hours of a “7-Night Western Cruise” itinerary through the Caribbean. As the sun rose over the horizon on March 3, 2024, a lookout aboard the ship spotted a small, inadequately equipped raft bobbing aimlessly in the vast blue expanse.
Without hesitation, Captain Henrik Loy and crew initiated a well-coordinated rescue operation, bound by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
Regulation 33 of Chapter V states, “A master of a ship at sea, which is in a position to be able to provide assistance on receiving a signal from any source that persons are in distress at sea, is bound to proceed with all speed to their assistance.”
Icon of the Seas crew, collaborating with the U.S. Coast Guard, provided immediate medical care to stabilize the refugees’ conditions after days of exposure to the elements.
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean told CruiseHive, “On March 3, 2024, Icon of the Seas encountered a small vessel adrift and in need of assistance. The ship’s crew immediately launched a rescue operation, safely bringing 14 people onboard. The crew provided them with medical attention, and is working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard.“
According to a local media outlet, Icon of the Seas transported the refugees to its next port of call, Roatan, Honduras, where the Merchant Navy of Honduras met the ship.
The Honduran news source reported that the migrants were hopeful they would be allowed to be transported to the U.S.
A Legacy of Maritime Assistance
While the recent rescue operation by Icon of the Seas stands out due to the vessel’s stature, rescues at sea are not uncommon in the cruise industry.
Just three weeks before Icon’s mission, Carnival Celebration, operated by Carnival Cruise Line, came to the aid of 20 Cuban refugees facing distress in the Florida Straits. The ship’s crew provided food and water to those in need until the U.S. Coast Guard’s Key West sector arrived.
In January, Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady rescued 18 Cuban refugees from a sinking boat in the Caribbean.
This is also not the first time a Royal Caribbean ship has rescued passengers in the Caribbean. In January 2023, Liberty of the Seas executed a similar rescue, saving 17 Cuban refugees found adrift in a small raft as it was en route to The Bahamas.
Continuing a Groundbreaking Voyage
Icon of the Seas, launched by Royal Caribbean International, has quickly ascended to the forefront of maritime achievement as the world’s largest cruise ship.
The ship, which measures an impressive 1,198 feet from bow to stern and weighs 250,800 gross tons, is homeported in Miami. It is spending its first season and most of 2024 and 2025 in the Caribbean.
With a capacity to host 7,600 passengers, Icon of the Seas sails a series of 7-night roundtrip voyages between Miami and the Western and Eastern Caribbean.
Its current cruise, which began on March 2, 2024, made its first port of call in Roatan after the rescue was made.
Icon of the Seas proceeded to run its course, traveling to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. The ship will spend time at Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at Coco Cay in the Bahamas before circling back to Miami on March 9, 2024.
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