The Royal Caribbean cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas rescued 77 migrants after their sailboat encountered trouble in the Ionian Sea near Greece. The Hellenic Coast Guard reported that a Maltese-flagged cargo ship spotted the distressed sailboat on August 5, late Monday. The sailboat, overloaded and unable to progress, was located 112 nautical miles southwest of Pylos in southwestern Greece.
Responding to a request from the Hellenic Coast Guard, the Odyssey of the Seas changed its course to assist the migrants. Initially, the cruise ship dispatched a tender to tow the sailboat and later deployed a smaller launch. Passengers on the cruise ship captured video footage showing the tender towing the sailboat. The cruise ship successfully took 77 stranded migrants aboard and transported them to the southern Greek port town of Kalamata.
Due to the rescue operation, the Odyssey of the Seas had to cancel its scheduled port call at Santorini. The ship is now proceeding to Kusadasi, Turkey, to resume its itinerary on Wednesday. The Odyssey of the Seas, launched in 2021, is one of the largest and most luxurious cruise ships globally, with a gross tonnage of 167,700 and a double occupancy capacity of 4,198 passengers.
This rescue occurred near the site of the 2023 sinking of the migrant ship Adriana, which carried around 750 people, mainly from Syria, Pakistan, and Egypt. Tragically, only 104 survived that incident, with over 500 people still missing. The Greek officials faced criticism for not evacuating passengers before the Adriana sank, although they deny any mishandling of the situation.
The Odyssey of the Seas features sixteen decks, 2,105 cabins, fifteen restaurants, and numerous recreational facilities, including a surf simulator, rock-climbing wall, skydiving simulator, swimming pools, and a theater.