henric
04-20-2012, 12:40 PM
20/04/2012 7:30:00 AM
by Monica Bugajski
A Carnival Cruise Lines ship allegedly failed to aid a fishing boat that had been adrift for two weeks off the coast of Panama, and as a result, two of those on board perished.
Carnival's luxury liner Star Princess was passing near the Galapagos Islands to offer its passengers a glimpse of the local birds, when it crossed near a Panamanian fishing vessel that had been drifting without power for two weeks. Two passengers on board the cruise ship, Jeff Gilligan and Judy Meredith, saw that the men on the small boat were waving frantically, so the couple alerted the crew. Instead of investigating what was going on or calling the coast guard, the Star Princess allegedly continued on its merry way and didn't even slow down.
Two of the three fishermen perished. 24-year-old Oropeces Betancourt died the night the ship passed by and 16-year-old Fernando Osario passed away five days later. The sole survivor, 18-year-old Vasquez, was rescued by an Ecuadorian boat on March 28, and in an interview, he spoke of the ordeal. He said that they were waving their shirts and life-vests to get help, and that they sank into a deep despair when they realized the boat was passing them by.
Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines told the press that there was a breakdown in crew communications, and neither Captain Edward Perrin nor the officer of the watch were ever informed of the situation. However, when Judy Meredith contacted the company to find out what had happened, they offered her an entirely different explanation. Carnival told her that the fisherman had asked the captain to stay clear of the boat and their waving was just their way of saying thank you.
Why in the world wouldn't a single crewmember investigate the issue? UN conventions oblige ships to help other vessels in distress, so it's absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating to find out that this cruise liner may have chosen to not abide by established conventions.
The crew should have sent out a smaller boat to look into the situation, and if they were unwilling to do that, they should have at least called the nearest coast guard to let know.
Carnival is saying that "Captain Perrin is devastated that he is being accused of knowingly turning his back on people in distress," but being the captain, he has to take responsibility for the behaviour of his crew. Something is seriously wrong if they didn't alert him.
The passengers should be applauded for notifying the crew, but they had a moral responsibility to do more when they realized that the ship was not turning around to aid the stranded men. They really should have gone with their gut instincts and put more pressure on the crew. It's always good to err on the side of caution, and sadly, they learned too late that there was more they could have done.
Do the people at the top need to be held accountable? Should an investigation be launched?
by Monica Bugajski
A Carnival Cruise Lines ship allegedly failed to aid a fishing boat that had been adrift for two weeks off the coast of Panama, and as a result, two of those on board perished.
Carnival's luxury liner Star Princess was passing near the Galapagos Islands to offer its passengers a glimpse of the local birds, when it crossed near a Panamanian fishing vessel that had been drifting without power for two weeks. Two passengers on board the cruise ship, Jeff Gilligan and Judy Meredith, saw that the men on the small boat were waving frantically, so the couple alerted the crew. Instead of investigating what was going on or calling the coast guard, the Star Princess allegedly continued on its merry way and didn't even slow down.
Two of the three fishermen perished. 24-year-old Oropeces Betancourt died the night the ship passed by and 16-year-old Fernando Osario passed away five days later. The sole survivor, 18-year-old Vasquez, was rescued by an Ecuadorian boat on March 28, and in an interview, he spoke of the ordeal. He said that they were waving their shirts and life-vests to get help, and that they sank into a deep despair when they realized the boat was passing them by.
Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines told the press that there was a breakdown in crew communications, and neither Captain Edward Perrin nor the officer of the watch were ever informed of the situation. However, when Judy Meredith contacted the company to find out what had happened, they offered her an entirely different explanation. Carnival told her that the fisherman had asked the captain to stay clear of the boat and their waving was just their way of saying thank you.
Why in the world wouldn't a single crewmember investigate the issue? UN conventions oblige ships to help other vessels in distress, so it's absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating to find out that this cruise liner may have chosen to not abide by established conventions.
The crew should have sent out a smaller boat to look into the situation, and if they were unwilling to do that, they should have at least called the nearest coast guard to let know.
Carnival is saying that "Captain Perrin is devastated that he is being accused of knowingly turning his back on people in distress," but being the captain, he has to take responsibility for the behaviour of his crew. Something is seriously wrong if they didn't alert him.
The passengers should be applauded for notifying the crew, but they had a moral responsibility to do more when they realized that the ship was not turning around to aid the stranded men. They really should have gone with their gut instincts and put more pressure on the crew. It's always good to err on the side of caution, and sadly, they learned too late that there was more they could have done.
Do the people at the top need to be held accountable? Should an investigation be launched?