A Disney cruise ship came to the aid of four people stranded at sea after their catamaran began to flood, hundreds of miles off the coast of Bermuda on Sunday, according to officials.
The incident took place about 265 miles off the Bermuda coastline after a gasket was blown on the escape hatch of Serenity, a 50-foot catamaran, allowing water to flow in, Petty Officer 3rd Class Christine Bills, spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard 5th District, told the Associated Press.
Bills said the Coast Guard put out a broadcast seeking help from the nearest ship.
The Disney Treasure, a cruise ship that happened to be about 80 miles from the Serenity’s location, answered that call, Bills said.
The ship was headed from Eemshaven, Netherlands, to a Port in Canaveral, Florida, when it received the call and quickly mobilized for the rescue, according to a statement the Disney Cruise Line sent to the Associated Press.
The ship’s crew launched a lifeboat to save the four stranded passengers. Captain Marco Nogara of the Disney Treasure said he was pleased with how his crew responded in the emergency.
“Our crew members worked together on the rescue, skillfully demonstrating their training and commitment to safety,” he told AP.
A plane from the U.S. Coast Guard also assisted in coordinating the rescue efforts.
Bills said that a crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City in North Carolina deployed an HC-130 airplane to monitor the situation from above until the rescue was finished. Video footage captured by the plane shows a yellow lifeboat take off from the cruise ship to rescue those near the disabled catamaran.
A Disney spokesperson did not respond to NTD’s request for comment.
“Disney Cruise Line is consistently the top-rated cruise line for families because it offers something for everyone. Expanding our fleet gives more people, in more parts of the world, the opportunity to experience a vacation at sea like only Disney can provide,” he said.
