Scarlet Girl, the primary vessel of the younger Virgin Voyages cruise line, has rescued a small group of refugees from a makeshift raft north of Cuba, based on stories from passengers on board.
The cruise ship noticed the vessel in misery, took its occupants onboard, and has reported the incident to the correct authorities.
Scarlet Girl Rescue
The ship, which was having fun with a day at sea, noticed the small, unsteady craft north of Cuba. The refugees seemed to be aboard a makeshift raft constructed from water barrels and internal tubes, with a blue plastic tarp or comparable plastic sheet for a sail.
Eight people have been aboard the raft, and whereas their situation was not identified, the raft was clearly not seaworthy for the Straits of Florida, the sometimes tough waters between Cuba and the Florida Keys.
You may watch a video fo the rescue under and hearken to the announcement from the ship’s captain:
The refugees have been introduced aboard the cruise ship with what belongings they may carry, although pictures and video present that some supplies remained aboard the raft. The small craft was left adrift after it was deserted.
The incident occurred simply earlier than 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
After the rescue, monitoring knowledge confirmed Scarlet Girl turning north towards Key West, the place it’s probably the refugees might be turned over to america Coast Guard, the authorities overseeing such rescues.
A Coast Guard cutter is almost certainly dispatched to switch the refugees, although the cruise ship will regulate its course barely to fulfill the authorities extra effectively.
The 110,000-gross-ton cruise ship is presently crusing a 5-night Riviera Maya itinerary, having left Miami on Sunday, September 11. Monday was a day at sea, and the ship visited Cozumel, Mexico on Tuesday. At this time was one other day at sea.
After releasing the refugees to the correct authorities, Scarlet Girl will resume her voyage, with a deliberate go to to Bimini in The Bahamas on Thursday earlier than returning again to Miami on Friday, September 16.
As a result of cruise ships usually use slower, extra gasoline environment friendly speeds throughout sea days, it’s unlikely there might be any delay in Scarlet Girl‘s remaining itinerary for this cruise. The ship will merely regulate pace to compensate for the diversion to be able to arrive in Bimini as scheduled at 8 a.m.
Scarlet Girl can host as many as 2,770 friends, with 1,160 crew members to offer superior service aboard the luxurious vessel. The ship is presently providing 4-5 evening itineraries roundtrip from Miami, exploring a wide range of Caribbean ports of name.
Not the First Rescue for Virgin Voyages
Whereas refugee rescues, notably close to Cuba, have been notably rising in current months – Carnival Horizon made an analogous rescue in the identical space simply two days in the past – this incident will not be the primary at sea rescue for the Scarlet Girl cruise ship.
In October 2021, the vessel got here to the rescue of eight migrants 75 miles southwest of Key West, Florida. The ship’s crew helped the migrants onboard after that they had been stranded at sea for six days.
The younger cruise line solely has two vessels presently crusing – Scarlet Girl launched in October 2021 after a number of delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic and industry-wide cruise journey shutdown.
Regardless of the prolonged delays, nevertheless, the ship has obtained broad approval for its luxurious experiences and adults-only ambiance, which units it aside within the cruise {industry}.
Scarlet Girl was joined by her sister ship, Valiant Girl, in February 2022, and a 3rd vessel for the fleet, to be named Resilient Girl, is scheduled to debut in Might 2023, later than initially deliberate as a result of provide chain shortages which have impacted her development timeline.
The fourth ship within the fleet, Good Girl, can be scheduled to debut later in 2023. There was no announcement about whether or not this vessel may also be delayed as her sister ships have been.
