Rescues at sea

[travelmatron]

The Star Princess is being investigated for failing to offer aide to a reported fishing boat in distress according to an article in today's Oregonian newspaper:

 

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/04/bend_bird-watchers_caught_up_i.html

 

If the captain of the Star Princess really did fail to attempt a rescue, and two people did indeed die after he ignored the problem that would be a huge issue.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks -- I hadn't heard about.

Will be interesting to hear rhe final outcome.

[Hawaiidan]

However it is an international code of conduct that every ship I have ever heard of adheres to out of mutual respect for each other.

 

The US Coast guard can request but not order a merchant vessel. And I have never ever heard a ship declne.. even chinese ships coming to the aid of americans. And last week the US Navu came to the aid of Iranian fisherman.

 

If they did in fact ignore a request made for no other reason that they did not want to burn the fuel of waste the time....that speaks rather loud of the company and its officers.....Maybe they have a North Korean Captain ?

[kazu]

However it is an international code of conduct that every ship I have ever heard of adheres to out of mutual respect for each other.

 

The US Coast guard can request but not order a merchant vessel. And I have never ever heard a ship declne.. even chinese ships coming to the aid of americans. And last week the US Navu came to the aid of Iranian fisherman.

 

If they did in fact ignore a request made for no other reason that they did not want to burn the fuel of waste the time....that speaks rather loud of the company and its officers.....Maybe they have a North Korean Captain ?

 

quote]

WOW - how did a North Korean figure in here:eek::eek: If you had said Italian I would understand even though it's a bit racial with the Costa incident I would have understood it - but North Korean:eek: totally uncalled for and I'm embarrassed to see this on the board.

 

Op - thank you so much - wow, I hope this is not true. There are many cruise ships that have gone out of their paths to help. I can't believe anyone wouldn't go (or don't want to).

 

Imagine if the Carpathia had ignored the titanic's call for help:eek:

[PathfinderEss]

The Star Princess is being investigated for failing to offer aide to a reported fishing boat in distress according to an article in today's Oregonian newspaper:

 

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/04/bend_bird-watchers_caught_up_i.html

 

If the captain of the Star Princess really did fail to attempt a rescue, and two people did indeed die after he ignored the problem that would be a huge issue.

Thanks so much for the link. If this was the case how sad. The Princess ship could have saved them, wow, someone is in big trouble.

[Steve78]

Man I really hope this isn't true.... :S

[itzmered]

I posted this yesterday over on the Princess board

 

I will wait to pass judgement when I hear the entire story from both sides. Not just a reporters version of it. I wonder who they reported this to aboard ship? I wouldnt even know who to contact to insure that they listened to me if I saw something like that. By the time you contact someone the boat has moved quite a ways away and they stated they were looking through very powerful binoculars.

 

I also agree with what someone else said the media right now is out for cruise line blood and I think we need to step back and wait for the full story to come out.

[3rdGenCunarder]

On our QM2 transatlantic, the captain announced that we were changing course to answer a distress call from a fishing boat. When we reached it, another fishing boat was already there. First boat on the scene is in charge, and they said they were OK and didn't need our help. As we sailed away, all I could think was the poor guys on the disabled boat being soooo close to being rescued by am ocean liner. But instead, they got rescued by a boat much like their own.

[Himself]

I will tell you a postive story. A year ago last October I was on the Eurodam and as we headed back to Ft. Lauderdale from HMC we got a distress call and the Eurodam went and resuced a couple of fisherman. People who missed a plane were angry because we arrived bout 8:30 rather than 6AM but we saved two lives and that was what was most important.

[Miata6]

Imagine if the Carpathia had ignored the titanic's call for help (quote)

 

You mean like the SS Californian did?

[erewhon]

Thanks for the link to this story.

[Barbdell]

This story was on the news in NY/NJ area today. As past and scheduled future Princess cruiser, I am extremely interested in the entire facts. I called Princess, but they read a standard PR release which says they are investigating. I also will await to see what the full story is. Very sad and troublesome if true.

[Typhoon1]

Saw the story early this morning. What a shame someone had to lose their life.

[Zyzygy]

ABC News has broadcast a purported photo of the distressed fishing boat taken by a birdwatcher Princess passenger using a long telephoto lens.

 

According to an emotional interview with the Princess passenger, she reported the distressed vessel to a Princess crew member, who allegedly also viewed the vessel through her lens and allegedly reportedly the sighting to the bridge.

 

Supposedly the Princess captain thought that the fisherman, well out to sea, was waving his shirt frantically in greeting rather than distress.

 

The reporting Princess passenger also sent a contemporaneous email to the US Coast Guard when the Princess vessel took no action, giving the USCG the ship's GPS coordinates at the time of the sighting, but the USCG was unable to locate the vessel.

 

The fishing boat then reportedly drifted for two more weeks, during which time two occupants died of dehydration.

 

If all of this is true, a Princess officer or two may deserve the opportunity to navigate their own drifting vessel in that part of the ocean.

 

It is all very sad.

 

Link: http://gma.yahoo.com/princess-cruises-investigate-why-captain-ignored-distress-call-233100964--abc-news-topstories.html

[IRL_Joanie]

If the Oasis can stop to assist, surely a smaller cruise ship like Star Princess could have:(

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4806

WTG OASIS!!!

 

Joanie

[travelmatron]

The story of the fishing boat left adrift has now been reorted in a number of papers. It will be interesting to know the results of the Princess investigation.

[sandij]

We were on the Carnival Glory back in March when on the first full day out we were getting ready for dinner and I noticed a sail boat off our balcony and then noticed the Glory was slowing down. Through my binoculars I couldn't see anyone on board the small boat that was lurching badly in the waves. Next we had an announcement that we had to stop and see if anyone needed help and we did slow down and turn around towards the sail boat. About half an hour later they announced that no one was on board and the coast guard said they had already taken the people off, just left the boat to do whatever, glad it was not dark when we came upon it.

[bepsf]

If you had said Italian I would understand...

 

Most Princess Bridge Officers are Italian, as I understand...

[Scrapchick]

Most Princess Bridge Officers are Italian, as I understand...

 

The Captain in this case was English, a very nice man called Edward Perrin. I was on the voyage prior to the one being discussed and my husband was on board for the sailing in question. We met Capt Perrin several times and were very impressed with him. He has spent his entire adult life at sea and came across as extremely professional and caring. I find it very hard to believe he would intentionally ignore a vessel in distress. I would happily sail with him again and find it awful the way he has been castigated across the web without all the facts being known.

[gonzo1124]

Maybe he thought they were pirates...