Carnival Paradise came to the rescue of a makeshift raft in the Florida Straits, just three weeks since the cruise ship carried out a rescue operation for another refugee boat.
Reports by US officials that the Cuban refugee crisis is worsening appear to be confirmed by an increase in rescue operations by cruise ships in the past two months.
Carnival Paradise rescues six refugees
For the second time in less than a month and the second time in a series of cruise ship rescues, Carnival Paradise rescued six refugees from a makeshift raft in the Gulf of Mexico last Friday.
Built in 1998 Carnival Paradise sailed from Tampa, Florida, on a voyage to Cozumel, Mexico, on August 18. During the day at sea on August 19, the ship encountered a makeshift raft constructed of Styrofoam and plywood with six Cuban refugees on board. The captain announced that the ship would slow down and check for refugees.
A passenger, Pat Messier, commented WFLA News Channel 8: “The captain came over the loudspeaker and said we’re going to slow down, that they had a boat there to make sure they weren’t in any trouble.”
After the raft was near, it became apparent to the captain and crew that it was by no means seaworthy, and Carnival Paradise took the six refugees on board.
According to Carnival Cruise Lines spokesman Matt Lupoli, apart from being dehydrated from spending a significant amount of time outside in the hot sun without adequate supplies, the refugees were in good health. The migrants were welcomed on board and received a medical check-up, food and clothes.
Formerly 71,925-gross-ton Carnival Paradise reached the first port of call, Cozumel in Mexico, on August 20, the six refugees were handed over to Mexican authorities. It is not known if they will return to Cuba.
Refugees taking great risks
While it’s not unusual for cruise ships to encounter dinghies and refugee boats in the Florida Straits and Gulf of Mexico, the number of rescues this year is already significantly higher than in previous years. With the cruise returning from Florida and Cuba’s economy already struggling at best, the refugees seem to be favoring their chances.
And that comes with great risks. Earlier this month, the US Coast Guard reported that two people drowned and five were missing after their dinghy capsized in the Florida Straits.
US Coast Guard Adm. Brendan McPherson said this: “This situation highlights the dangers these immigrants face as they attempt to illegally enter the United States by sea. The Florida Straits and its approaches can be dangerous for even the most trained and equipped sailors.
“For people migrating illegally aboard ill-fitting or overcrowded boats and homemade dinghies that lack basic lifesaving equipment such as life jackets, these dangers can often be deadly.”
Cruise ships are also seeing increased activity. Just three weeks ago, Carnival Paradise encountered a similar situation, where 20 people were rescued from a small overloaded boat on July 31.
Dawn of the Carnival rescued 12 Cuban refugees who had fled south of Key West on July 29.
Mardi GrasCarnival Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship has also performed several rescues this year, including the rescue of twenty Cubans during two separate incidents and fuel supplyfood and water on another boat in January this year.
