The cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas rescued 77 migrants whose boat ran into trouble in the Ionian Sea, off Greece.
The Hellenic Coast Guard reported that an unnamed Maltese-flagged cargo ship saw a large sailboat that it believed was in distress late on Monday, August 5, and reported the situation.
The sailboat appeared to be overloaded and was not making headway. It was in a position 112 nautical miles southwest of Pylos in southwestern Greece on the Ionian Sea.
Greece asked the cruise ship to change course and help the migrants
The Hellenic Coast Guard requested the assistance of the cruise ship to change course to proceed to the sailboat.
The cruise ship initially sent one of its tenders and later also deployed a smaller launch. Video posted by the passengers shows the tender towing the sailboat toward the cruise ship and either the line was released or parted.
The Odyssey of the Seas took aboard 77 people whom the captain informed the cruise passengers this morning were stranded migrants. The Hellenic Coast Guard reports they were being transported to the southern Greek port town of Kalamata.
The cruise ship was forced to cancel its scheduled port call at Santorini and is now proceeding to Kusadasi, Turkey to resume its schedule on Wednesday.
The Royal Caribbean International vessel Odyssey of the Seas, introduced in 2021 is 167,700 gross tons with a double occupancy capacity of 4,198 passengers. The ship had departed the Italian port of Civitavecchia and was sailing to the Greek island of Santorini.
The incident in the area near 2023 deadly sinking
The incident occurred near the same area where in 2023 the sinking of the migrant ship Adriana took place.
The boat was carrying an estimated 750 people, mainly from Syria, Pakistan, and Egypt. Only 104 survived; 82 bodies were recovered but only 58 were identified. More than 500 people remain missing after the sinking on June 14, 2023.
Although the vessel was clearly in bad shape, Greek officials were unable to evacuate the passengers before it sank. Survivors have said the Adriana went down during a botched Coast Guard attempt to tow it, which Greek officials strongly deny.
Odyssey of the Seas, is one of the largest and most luxurious cruise ships in the world.
She measures 1,138 feet (347 m) and has a gross tonnage of 167,704, with sixteen decks. The ship accommodates 4,198 passengers at double occupancy up to a maximum capacity of 5,510 passengers, as well as a crew of 1,663. There are fourteen decks for guest use, fifteen restaurants, two pools and 2,105 cabins.
Facilities on the ship include a Wave Loch Flowrider surf simulator, a rock-climbing wall, a skydiving simulator, swimming pools, an observation pod, bumper cars, a basketball court, a solarium, a Spa and Fitness Center, a theater, and a casino.