Map showing path of fishing boat Judy Meredith, 65, from Bend, Oregon, said she contacted a crew mem

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Cruise line regrets failure to help stranded Panama fishermen An American cruise line has said it "deeply regrets" the deaths of two Panamanian fishermen amid claims that one of its cruise ships failed to help their stranded boat. Princess Cruises said passengers on the Star Princess apparently alerted a crew member to the disabled fishing boat in March, but initial best value inn and suites indications are that the captain was never told. Later that month, the Ecuadorian navy rescued the only survivor of what was meant to be an overnight best value inn and suites fishing trip, 18-year-old Adrian Vasquez, after 28 days adrift. Since then, pressure has grown on the cruise line from local and international media to explain why it failed to help. Broadcaster NPR first reported the claim by three passengers, all bird-watchers, that they had spotted the castaways and told cruise ship staff but had seen no action taken. A reporter with the Panama-Guide.com website confirmed with Vasquez that he and his two friends, who at that point were still alive, had tried to attract the attention of the passing cruise best value inn and suites ship. Princess Cruises "deeply regrets that two Panamanian men perished at sea," its statement Thursday said. "The preliminary results of our investigation have shown that there appeared to be a breakdown in communication best value inn and suites in relaying the passenger's concern. Neither Captain Edward Perrin nor the officer of the watch were notified," it said. "Understandably, Captain Perrin is devastated that he is being accused of knowingly turning his back on people in distress." best value inn and suites If Perrin had received the information, he would have been able to respond appropriately, the company said. "We all understand that it is our responsibility and also the law of the sea to provide assistance to any vessel in distress, and it is not an uncommon occurrence for our ships to be involved in a rescue at sea," it said. Its ships have been involved in more than 30 rescues in the past decade, Princess Cruises added. The story of Vasquez's miraculous survival gained international coverage when he was picked up north of the Galápagos Islands. The alert was first raised by Vasquez's parents after he and his two friends, Oropeces Betancourt, 24, and Fernando Osorio, 16, failed to return as expected to the town of Rio Hato, Panama. Local fishermen and then the Panamanian navy joined the search, sending best value inn and suites ships and airplanes to look for the trio, to no avail. For nearly a month, their fate remained a mystery. But on March 21, fishermen spotted the boat, named the Fifty Cents, adrift nearly 600 miles from where it had launched. After being alerted by the fishermen, the Ecuadorian navy rescued Vazquez. Rear Adm. Freddy Garcia best value inn and suites Calle said Vasquez showed "severe signs of dehydration and lack of nutrition" when he was found. He said the survivor had thrown his friends' bodies into the ocean "because they had become badly decomposed." Vasquez's mother, Nilsa de la Cruz, told CNN last month that she was overjoyed to have her son back. "After 28 days of anguish, after praying to God that he be found alive ... this is indeed a miracle," de la Cruz said. She said her son told her the February 24 fishing trip had started out well. The three caught plenty of fish. But the boat's engine died without warning and, with no tools and scant navigational experience, there was little the trio could do, de la Cruz told CNN. Soon, currents had swept their boat out into the Pacific, far from the coast. De la Cruz said the three ate raw fish and drank rainwater. They had already been adrift for two weeks when passengers on the Star Princess apparently spotted their tiny boat as the fishermen waved for help Reports are circulating that Princess Cruises is launching an internal investigation surrounding claims that one of its ships passed a distressed fishing best value inn and suites vessel near Panama last month. Passenger witnesses have reported that they clearly spotted a person waving wildly from the boat, calling for help.
A small group of birdwatchers aboard the Star Princess cruise ship reported seeing a man waving his arms and a red cloth from a small boat, while using their binoculars. best value inn and suites This occurred on March 10th during one of the ship s four-week cruises. The group reported their sighting to a crewmember aboard the liner, who then allegedly conveyed the message to the bridge. However, the vessel did not stop or change course. The bird-watching trio also attempted to notify the Coast Guard and other maritime authorities about the boat in distress. best value inn and suites The fishing boat was found off the Galapagos Islands by a commercial fishing vessel almost two weeks later. Only 18-year-old Adrian Vasquez survived; his two friends perished during the 28 days at sea, according to the Miami Herald. During an interview, the sole survivor best value inn and suites indeed confirmed that a cruise ship had passed them and that the pictures that the witnesses later showed were of the boat he was on. A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises said the reports have not been verified at this time, but an internal investigation is underway. International maritime law says a ship must render aid to a vessel in distress. Princess Cruises best value inn and suites is owned by Carnival Corp. , which is based in Miami.
Carnival cruise ship 'communications breakdown' left fishing boat drifting Cruise line says Star Princess failed to rescue men on drifting boat in Pacific best value inn and suites because captain was never told of their plight Passenger reports of the stricken boat never reached the Carnival ship's captain, Edward Perrin, the cruise line said. Photograph: Beyondships.com The British captain of a cruise ship that failed to rescue three stricken Panamanian fishermen is said to be devastated by accusations that he ignored calls for their rescue. Two of the three men on the drifting best value inn and suites fishing boat later died of dehydration one within best value inn and suites hours of Star Princess passengers attempting to raise the alarm after spotting the lost boat. Princess Cruises, the operator of the ship, blamed a "breakdown in communications" for the tragedy. The cruise line, which is owned by Carnival , the same corporation behind the operators of the Costa Concordia which sank this year, said investigations were still trying to establish the exact circumstances of the incident. However, Princess cruises said passengers' reports that they had spotted a boat in distress never made it to Captain Edward Perrin or the officer on duty. "Princess Cruises deeply regrets that two Panamanian men perished at sea after their boat became disabled in early March," a statement said . "We all understand that it is our responsibility and also the law of the sea to provide assistance to any vessel in distress, and it is not an uncommon occurrence for our ships to be involved in a rescue at sea. In fact, we have done so more than 30 times in the last 10 years. best value inn and suites We deeply regret this incident and are continuing our investigation to fully understand the circumstances." The story of Adrian Vasquez, the 18-year-old hotel worker who survived for 28 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean, was a global news story after his rescue near the Galapagos Islands. But it emerged that the fishing boat, the Fifty Cents, had been spotted on 10 March by three birdwatchers best value inn and suites on the Star Princess, but it failed to stop. Later the same night, Oropeces Betancourt, 24, died of dehydration. best value inn and suites The youngest fisherman, best value inn and suites Fernando Osorio, 16, died on 15 March, suffering from dehydration, sunburn and heat stroke.
Map showing path of fishing boat Judy Meredith, 65, from Bend, Oregon, said she contacted a crew member, who told her he was relaying her concerns to the bridge. She said it was horrific that two of the men died and "both could have lived, had the cruise ship responded to our urgent request". Adrian Vasquez was the only surviving fisherman. Photograph: AP Don Winner, a Panama -based, English-language blogger later tracked down Vasquez, who confirmed that he and his friends had seen the cruise ship and had signalled frantically. He also confirmed that a picture taken by the cruise passengers was of his boat . Jeff Gilligan, 61, from Portland, Oregon, who was travelling with Meredith, said a member of the crew had looked through their binoculars at the boat. "He said he could see what we were describing. We suggested that the people from the bridge came down and looked. He said they had binoculars We were convinced the bridge knew what was happening and thought maybe it took a while to turn around. But after a while we realised it wasn't turning. But we told ourselves that this cruise ship would have radioed coastguards." Jim Dowdall, 54, from Ireland, best value inn and suites the third birdwatcher, said: "We had seen lots of small fishing vessels since the start of the cruise in Valparaios but this was different. It looked wrong, best value inn and suites and the way they were waving I guess the lack of interest shown by the crew was a bit disconcerting. "We thought we had done whatever we could. We just weren't comfortable but there wasn't much else we could do we'd alerted the bridge, tried to email the coastguard." When he heard the news, he said: "I was gobsmacked. When I saw about the rescue best value inn and suites I knew instinctively it was the same boat. Now I've seen all the photos it's clear enough it's the same boat." In a separate incident underlining that cruise ships do habitually assist stricken vessels, passengers on board the Oasis of the Seas witnessed best value inn and suites their liner go to the aid of a broken-down fishing boat near the Cayman Islands on Wednesday. According to an eyewitness report on the cruise review website cruisecritic.co.uk , the captain of the Royal Caribbean ship announced to passengers who lined the decks to watch: "That's what we do at sea".