() A Royal Caribbean cruise ship headed for the Bahamas encountered a small boat adrift on Saturday carrying 17 migrants, who were then taken aboard the ship, according to a cruise line statement.
The Liberty of the Seas was sailing towards the Bahamas when it encountered a drifting small vessel that needed assistance, according to Royal Caribbean officials.
“The ship’s crew immediately launched a rescue operation, safely bringing 17 people on board. The crew provided them with medical attention and is working closely with the United States Coast Guard,” the statement said.
The Liberty of the Seas was sailing towards the Bahamas when it encountered a small drifting ship. (Courtesy of MH Family Adventures)
RacQuelle Major-Holland, a passenger on the cruise, told the captain made an announcement that his ship was diverting from its route to Nassau to see if the small boat needed help.
“He shared that there appeared to be people on board and mentioned maritime law that ships must search and salvage if necessary,” Major-Holland said Monday.
He added that it was difficult to see the small boat at first, but about 45 minutes after the announcement, people were aboard Liberty of the Seas.
“The people on the boat were waving and … they were smiling and happy to be rescued,” said Major-Holland, a travel blogger from Pickerington, Ohio.
A video Major-Holland recorded shows the boat approaching the cruise ship. The small craft has only a few oars and a piece of tattered green cloth from what appears to be a makeshift flagpole.
Authorities did not identify which country the people on the boat were from, but the rescue comes during a surge of Cubans and Haitians trying to reach the United States.
It’s not new for cruise ships traveling near Florida to run into migrant boats. But a series of recent rescues and social media posts about them have brought a new wave of attention to these dramatic moments at sea and the migration crisis behind them.
The small vessel in this case was in Bahamian waters and people on board reported that there was also another vessel, a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard District Seven told .
Due to the location of the vessels, Bahamian authorities are leading the investigation with the assistance of the Coast Guard.
has contacted the Bahamas Defense Forces for additional information.
‘s Steve Almasy and Catherine Shoichet contributed to this report.
