The two Carnival Spirit
passengers lost at sea were
not the first Australians to go
overboard.
The tragedy of the young couple who went
overboard while cruising near NSW last week
has highlighted the importance of safety and
security on cruise ships in local waters.
Although the majority of ‘man overboard’
incidents involve Americans in the US, Mexico,
Bahamas and Caribbean, there have been
several other cases in the South Pacific.
According to Ann Sherry, two passengers
have previously disappeared overboard from
cruise ships in the region in the six years that
she has been CEO of Carnival Australia.
In 2005, a man also died after jumping from
P&O’s Pacific Sky sailing near Caloundra,
Queensland.
On two other South Pacific cruises,
passengers who jumped were rescued.
Last year, a man was also saved after jumping
from Carnival Spirit on the way to Hawaii,
according to a report by NBC in the US.
A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines said
last week’s shocking incident was the first such
case for the Spirit in Australia.
“The safety and security of our guests and
crew is the number one priority at Carnival
Cruise Lines,” CCL Australia’s director, Jennifer
Vandekreeke, told Cruise Weekly.
“All of our ships meet or exceed International
Maritime standards, particularly with regards
to items critical to guest safety such as balcony
railings.”
The Spirit has more than 20 security staff,
although only four people are monitoring the
600 CCTV cameras, Sherry told the media last
week.
In mandatory safety briefings, passengers are
also urged to immediately report to crew any
cases of people falling or jumping overboard.
Only a few hours before the young couple
were discovered to be missing last week, CCL
had announced the deployment of a second
ship to Sydney.
Carnival Legend is now scheduled to join
Spirit next year for a series of cruises to New
Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji, commencing 24
September 2014.
The 2,124-passenger ship will be withdrawn
from Europe, along with Carnival Sunshine (to
be based in New Orleans), leaving no Carnival
ships in Europe in 2014.
The company revealed last week that it was
pulling out of the European market due to
US clients’ reluctance to pay for expensive
transatlantic flights.
No further details have since been disclosed
about local plans for Carnival Legend.
