Passengers on RCI-Royal Caribbean International’s ship Odyssey of the Seas witnessed a maritime rescue operation during their 7-day Greek Island cruise.
Overnight, the ship assisted in the rescue of 77 migrants, who were later transported to a Greek port, according to the Hellenic Coast Guard. The incident occurred after a Malta-flagged cargo ship reported a sailboat in distress, located 112 nautical miles (207 km) southwest of Pylos (Greece), in the Ionian Sea.
The 4200-passenger ship Odyssey OTS was en route from Civitavecchia-Rome to Santorini when she was requested to assist by altering course. Passengers reported limited information and circulating rumors as the ship approached the scene early Tuesday morning, August 6th. Odyssey OTS deployed a tender boat and a smaller boat to assist the sailboat, which appeared heavily overloaded.
Video footage shared by passengers shows the ship’s tender towing the sailboat before bringing the 77 migrants aboard. They were later transferred to Kalamata.
Due to the rescue operation, Odyssey OTS canceled the planned stop at Santorini and headed to Kusadasi (Turkey), to continue the scheduled itinerary.
For more Odyssey of the Seas incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.