Royal Caribbean International’s Odyssey of the Seas interrupted her current sailing, a 7-night Greek Isles cruise, to rescue 77 refugees in the Ionian Sea during the overnight hours from Monday, August 5 to Tuesday, August 6, 2024.
The rescue operation was carried out without hesitation at the request of Greek authorities when the overcrowded sailboat was spotted in distress.
According to ABC News, a cargo ship spotted the refugee craft approximately 129 miles southwest of Pylos early Tuesday morning. Odyssey of the Seas was contacted to assist, and immediately diverted to the south of her sailing route.
Upon arrival, the 167,704-gross-ton, Quantum-Ultra class cruise ship lowered a lifeboat as well as its pilot craft to make contact with the smaller vessel.
The sailboat was overloaded with migrants, but every individual was able to be brought safely onboard Odyssey of the Seas. No details about their nationalities or the reason for their distress were available.
Video of the rescue showed the overcrowded sailboat with its sail raised, but it was not making any headway and appeared to be stranded. Some reports mention a fire or even capsizing, but this has not been confirmed and is not evident from the video.
The rescue operation took several hours, and refugees were not permitted to bring many of their belongings aboard the cruise ship.
As is standard procedure with rescues, they would have been given food, water, and medical attention as needed, and kept under supervision in crew-only areas. Local authorities would also have been kept apprised of their condition and any unusual circumstances.
After all the refugees were aboard, the sailboat was left adrift, as is common with refugee craft. Odyssey of the Seas then proceeded to Kalamata to debark the unexpected passengers, where Greek authorities took care of their processing.
Because of the unexpected diversion, Odyssey of the Seas was unable to make her port visit to Santorini as planned on Tuesday, August 6. The ship’s itinerary will be adjusted to compensate for the rescue, with Santorini hoped to be rescheduled for later in the sailing.
Read Also: What Is a Royal Caribbean Quantum-Ultra Class Cruise Ship?
The original itinerary included visits to Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, and Naples, before the ship returns to her homeport of Civitavecchia (Rome). Odyssey of the Seas is remaining homeported in Italy through the end of October, offering a variety of Greek Isles and Turkey itineraries.
On November 3, 2024, the ship will embark a 14-night transatlantic crossing to Cape Liberty, where she will be homeported for the winter to offer Bahamas and Caribbean itineraries. In late April 2025, Odyssey of the Seas will return to Civitavecchia for another Mediterranean season.
Migrant Rescues in the Mediterranean
Migration between the Middle East and Greece is common, with many refugees fleeing various conflicts in the hope of a better, safer life. Migrants may come from various Middle Eastern countries as well as Africa and Asia, attempting to enter the European Union.
According to FrontEx, the border guard for the European Union, there have been 25,000 illegal immigrant crossings in the eastern Mediterranean so far in 2024. The majority of the migrants originate from Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Turkey.
Cruise ships regularly respond to refugee rescues, as the safety of everyone at sea is always the highest priority for any vessel, regardless of the circumstances.
For example, in August 2023, Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class Celebrity Beyond assisted in a rescue of more than 200 migrants from a drifting vessel in roughly the same area as Odyssey of the Seas‘ rescue operation. At that time, Celebrity Beyond offered support to other craft performing the actual rescue, and no refugees were brought onboard the cruise ship.
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) governs the safety of all maritime vessels and dictates how vessels must respond to emergency situations. All ships are required to respond to distress situations so long as they are able to do so without putting themselves in similar danger.
Kudos to the officers and crew of Odyssey of the Seas for committing to the rescue operation and safeguarding so many lives.
