A Carnival cruise ship came to the aid of an injured mariner at sea this week while the vessel was anchored in The Bahamas.
Carnival Ecstasy was approximately four nautical miles away from a private yacht that issued a Mayday call. While it could see that another cruise ship was closer, the other vessel did not appear to be responding to the Mayday and Carnival Ecstasy Captain Domenico Calise immediately proceeded to lift anchor and proceed to the Balista to rescue the 29-year-old male crew member.
Working in tandem with Carnival Cruise Line ’s Fleet Operations Center, Carnival Ecstasy contacted all appropriate authorities, including the U.S. Coast Guard, as per normal protocols. Because of rough seas and 30 knot winds, Captain Calise and his team had to abort the initial transfer of the crew member and lowered a rescue boat to bring him on board.
The crew member was evaluated and treated by Carnival Ecstasy’s medical team who advised that his injuries required further treatment at a shoreside medical facility. Carnival Ecstasy then headed north where it was met by a USCG helicopter and a successful medical evacuation was completed.
Like other Carnival Cruise Line ships, Carnival Ecstasy is currently in a pause in its operations with ships at minimum non-operational manning status with limited crew members and no guests on board.
