A passenger that went missing from a cruise vessel sailing in the Gulf of Mexico was rescued after more than 15 hours afloat in the sea. A US Coast Guard helicopter rescued the man after being spotted by the crew of a passing bulk carrier, “Crinis”.
The passenger, a 28-year-old man was traveling with his sister on the Carnival Valor. The man went to the restroom and simply did not return. The next day at noon, the passenger’s sister reported him missing after he was not found anywhere. The Cruise Ship turned back and started retracing its route to find the missing passenger after security personnel could not find him.
By 2:30 PM the next day, the Coast Guard was alerted and multiple crews of air and sea search teams were deployed. A 200-mile search radius was established and an alert went out to all the mariners that were traveling near the gulf of Mexico. Given that the man had been missing for quite a while when the Coast Guard was alerted, hope was dwindling and coordination with the mariners was crucial as the search and rescue boats could only cover so much area.
Read Also: Polluting Shipbreaking Practices Threaten Ghanaian Shores
The crew of the passing bulk carrier, “Crinis” at 8:25 PM reported that they might have spotted the passenger 20 miles south off the coast of Louisiana. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was sent out of New Orleans and headed to the spot.
The man was found and pulled onto the helicopter. The man was responsive. He identified his name and stated that he was indeed the man that fell overboard from the cruise ship. He was showing signs of Hypothermia, dehydration and shock but could still walk and converse.
The man was transferred to New Orleans Lakefront hospital and was reported to be in stable condition on Friday.
shippingposition
Kindly like us on Facebook/twitter
