In a surprising twist of events, the company Princess Cruises says the captain of their cruise ship was never told about the stranded Panamanian fishing boat they passed by.
The company has been investigating allegations placed by passengers who accused crew workers of ignoring the pleas of three fisherman stranded on their vessel when the cruise line was on route towards its destination. The fishermen were set adrift in the Pacific Ocean after setting off from Rio Hato, Panama in February. They had been in the Pacific Ocean for 16 days when they were spotted by the cruise ship.
The reports cast an unpleasant light on a hopeful story, as survivor Adrian Vazquez recounts his initial happiness when spotting the cruise line and his dismay when it didn’t stop. Vazquez confirmed that he and his friends signaled the ship frantically with red colored t-shirts and their life vests. The other two men, unfortunately, died after they were finally rescued.
Vazquez, the lone survivor, was finally found two weeks after being spotted by Princess Cruises near the Galapagos Islands, his two fishing partners did not survive. Royal Caribbean owns the Princess Cruise line and the doomed Costa Concordia.
Judy Meredith of Oregon, a passenger on the boat, stated that she told one of the attendants about the stranded fishermen boat as soon as she spotted it drifting alongside the ship. According to her account, the attendant promptly assured her that he would notify the bridge, but the ship never stopped.
Crew passengers now say that all of the men could have been saved, and the deaths were caused by the the lack of concern.
