The Odyssey of the Seas came to the rescue of a drifting boat in the Ionian Sea (Picture: Kevin Gibbons/Hellenic Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy)
A British holidaymaker captured the moment a cruise ship came to the aid of an overcrowded boat taking migrants on a perilous journey across the Ionian Sea.
The stricken vessel was adrift 112 nautical miles south-west of the Greek coastal town of Pylos when the Royal Caribbean liner’s crew diverted to answer the distress call.
The captain made an emergency announcement, saying that all ships in the area had been requested to attend the sinking boat, as the liner altered course en-route to Santorini.
The luxurious Odyssey of the Seas, which is 1,138ft long and has 16 decks, launched two smaller boats to bring the drifting vessel alongside and transfer 77 people onboard.
The occupants included 36 men, seven women and 34 children.
Kevin Gibbons, 41, an ex-pat from the UK who lives in Spain, watched the rescue unfold on Monday night.
The occupants on the boat are transferred to the Odyssey of the Seas by the liner’s crew (Picture: Kevin Gibbons)
‘The crew did an amazing job, sending out two rescue boats to tow the overloaded sinking boat back to the cruise ship,’ he said.
‘Where you can see they were all transferred to the cruise ship awaiting the arrival of the coast guard and authorities to take over.
‘I understand it’s international law to rescue any sinking ship or distress call at sea, I totally accept it’s the right thing to do, but surely the whole world, including the rich states need to do more to assist and deter these deathly attempts to reach Europe.’
The drifting boat with people crowding the deck (Picture: Kevin Gibbons)
Twenty-seven of the rescued were transferred to a Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat and the remaining 50 onto the Panagia Thalassini passenger-launch before being disembarked at the Greek port of Kalamata.
The liner had to reschedule a port stop in Santorini because of the diversion, with the anchoring taking place yesterday instead.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: ‘On August 5, 2024, the ship encountered a small vessel adrift and in need of assistance.
‘Alongside the Greek Coast Guard, the ship’s crew immediately launched a rescue operation and has returned to its sailing.’
The operation to transfer the migrants to the Greek mainland (Picture: Hellenic Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy)
A spokesperson for Greece’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Island Policy told Metro.co.uk: ‘Under the coordination of the Unified Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, 77 foreigners who were onboard a sailing vessel were located and rescued from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the sea area 112 nautical miles south-west of Pylos.
‘Then the foreigners were transferred to the port of Kalamata.’
According to the Greek Coast Guard, the ‘foreigners’ said that they had launched from an unknown point on the Turkish coast near Bodrum destined for Italy.
They are said to have stated that they paid people traffickers 8,000 euros each (£6,800) for their passage to Europe, taking them across a hazardous stretch of water.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
The Greek authorities arrested two men and one woman, aged 48, 36 and 26 respectively, on immigration, people trafficking and exposure of life to danger charges.
An investigation into their activities and possible links with wider organised crime networks is being carried out by the Port Authority of Kalamata and the Directorate of Security and Protection of Maritime Borders.
The perilous nature of the journeys undertaken by migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean has previously been highlighted by Metro.co.uk
The Royal Navy recovered a dead body, plucked an underweight 12-day-old baby from an overcrowded ship and gave chase to a wooden boat packed with hundreds of people when it supported EU operations in the region in 2015, our investigation showed.
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the central Mediterranean route was the deadliest migration journey in the world last year as ‘desperate’ people tried to reach the safety of Europe.
Nearly 2,500 people died or went missing as they attempted to cross from Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia to Italy and Malta, the IOM said.
MORE : Biggest Channel rescue in three years saw 80 people saved – including children
MORE : British crews backed by drones rescued 500 people from Channel in one day
MORE : Dramatic pictures reveal Royal Navy’s role in Mediterranean rescues
Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk
For more stories like this, check our news page.