Cruise ship MSC Meraviglia rescues 24 migrants from boat while returning to Port Canaveral
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A cruise ship bound for Port Canaveral encountered a boat in distress Saturday and rescued all 24 occupants at sea, MSC Cruises reported in a statement.
MSC Meraviglia was returning from Cozumel, Mexico, to the Space Coast when the ship encountered the migrant vessel.
"Our crew notified the United States Coast Guard and started a rescue operation immediately. All 24 of the boat’s occupants (were brought) onboard MSC Meraviglia, where they were checked by medical personnel and provided accommodations until the ship reaches Port Canaveral," the company's statement said.
"The 24 who were rescued disembarked once the ship docked on Sunday morning," the statement said.
More:Migrant vessel removed from Sebastian Inlet amid Florida surge in Coast Guard interdictions
More:Apparent migrant vessel named 'The Miracle' in Spanish lands at Juan Ponce de Leon Landing
The cruise line declined further comment and directed additional questions to the Coast Guard.
Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class Nicole Groll did not provide specific information on the MSC Meraviglia rescue. But she said cruise ships that keep rescued migrants onboard and provide humanitarian care until their next U.S. port of call will transfer them to Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations custody for processing.
MSC Meraviglia is one of the world's largest cruise ships, boasting 2,214 staterooms, a capacity of 5,642 passengers, and a crew of 1,608.
During the past week from Jan. 6 to 13, Coast Guard cutter crews repatriated 824 Cubans and 83 Haitians while patrolling the Florida Straits, Windward and Mona Passes.
In addition, the Coast Guard interdicted 13 illegal ventures preventing 239 migrants from landing on U.S. shores, the agency said in a press release.
Migrants interdicted at sea were transferred to Coast Guard cutters, where they were provided humanitarian care including food, water, shelter and basic medical attention, the press release said. Migrants without a legal basis to enter the United States are repatriated to their country of origin or departure.
“We urge anyone considering attempting the always dangerous and very often deadly illegal maritime migration routes to not risk their lives by taking to the sea,” Rear Adm. Brendan McPherson, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District, said in the press release.
In Brevard County, at least four unoccupied possible migrant vessels have unexpectedly landed on Space Coast beaches in recent months:
Oct. 11: A makeshift vessel shaped from white foam blocks and a rusty metal frame floated ashore in Satellite Beach between Pelican Beach Park and Cassia Boulevard.
Nov. 4: A blue, smaller wooden-frame boat with rusted motor washed ashore near Fifth Avenue in Melbourne Beach.
Thanksgiving weekend: A gray boat named El Milagro — or "the miracle" in Spanish — beached at Juan Ponce de León Landing.
Dec. 30: A larger boat containing dozens of empty, sandy plastic water bottles floated ashore at Sebastian Inlet State Park.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: MSC Meraviglia rescues 24 migrants while returning to Port Canaveral
