Dawn of the Carnival was on her way back to Miami on Friday evening, July 29, 2022, when a small boat with 12 refugees was spotted in the Florida Straits, south of Key West. The cruise ship brought the men on board and contacted authorities for further assistance.
Cuban refugees are saved
According to Local 10 Newsthe incident happened on friday evening around 19:30. The small boat with 12 men was seen as the men, believed to be Cuban refugees, were trying to get the boat’s attention by waving.
Dawn of the Carnival was on her way back to Miami at the end of a 5-night Western Caribbean round-trip sailing that left Florida on July 25 and visited Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman. The ship’s route traveled entirely around Cuba.
The men were brought on board Dawn of the Carnival, and the cruise ship notified the United States Coast Guard (USCG) of the situation. Overnight Friday as the cruise ship proceeded to PortMiami, the ship encountered the USCG Fearless Cutter and transferred the men to their authority.
This is standard procedure under these circumstances. Unwavering has participated in several such rescues between Florida and Cuba in recent weeks, and on July 30, repatriated 83 Cubans to Cuba following these detentions.
“Sailing the seas in a less than seaworthy vessel is dangerous and may result in loss of life.” said Lt. Connor Ives, of Coast Guard District Seven. “Our crews are diligently patrolling the region to prevent people from losing their lives in these dangerous endeavors.”
After boarding a Coast Guard cutter, all refugees receive food, water, shelter and appropriate basic medical care. After rescuing and transferring refugees, Dawn of the Carnival proceeded back to Miami with no delay in her arrival on Saturday morning.
Rescue and assistance on cruise ships
Cruise ships are often part of rescues at sea, not only for refugees stranded in small, unstable watercraft, but also for private sailors who may be stranded or disabled.
Carnival cruise ships have been involved in several such rescues in 2022. The cruise line’s flagship, Mardi Gras, rescued four adults from a small rowing boat on June 30and in early June, rescued 16 people from a small rowing boat in rough seas.
Both rescues took place near Cuba, as well as another incident when Mardi Gras offered assistance to a small motorboat by supplying food and fuel to the passengers. During that incident, which happened at the end of January, the cruise ship did not take the refugees on board, as their ship was deemed safe. That refugee boat was believed to be heading for Mexico.
Other cruise lines and ships have also been involved in refugee rescues and other assistance scenarios at sea.
Famous Apex rescued three individuals from a small raft near Cuba in late FebruaryAND The magic of carnivals helped a stranded sailboat in Port Canaveral in early April. Royal Caribbean International’s The lure of the seas responded to a distress call from a small vessel near Cuba in late May, providing assistance until the Coast Guard arrives.
In the case of The magic of carnivals, was not a refugee situation, but rather mechanical problems with the sailors’ private craft. Similarly, The lure of the seasThe aid was given to a small fishing vessel and not a refugee boat.
According to Coast Guard numbers, rescues at sea are significantly higher than in previous years. So far in the current fiscal year (the calendar used for tracking), USGS crews have detained — stopped from illegal immigration — 3,683 Cubans. There are still two months left in the fiscal year, which ends on September 30.
In the previous five years combined, there have been fewer than 3,000 detentions of Cuban refugees apprehended by the Coast Guard.
