A Norwegian Cruise ship has rescued 63 people who were lost in the Ionian Sea.
The luxury vessel, operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines, rescued dozens of people off the Greek coast last week.
The rescue took place 111 kilometers south-west of the western island of Zakynthos on the night of October 22.
The cruise line’s Norwegian Epic vessel worked with Greek authorities to bring ’63 individuals to safety,’ according to the company.
Norwegian told USA TODAY: ‘The individuals were brought on board and tended to by the ship’s crew who provided a medical evaluation, food and other items for their comfort.
‘Following a mandatory directive from the Rescue Coordination Centre, the ship proceeded to Kalamata, Greece where the rescued individuals were turned over to the Greek authorities.’
The cruise line did not specify who the people rescued were.
The Greek coastguard told the dpa news agency that the Norwegian Epic liner initially took the stranded people on board, alerting authorities about the incident.
A Norwegian Cruise ship has rescued 63 people who were lost in the Ionian Sea
The ship departed from Civitavecchia, Italy, for a cruise.
Its journey had scheduled stops in Greece, Malta, Italy and France, according to CruiseMapper.
The vessel has since resumed its itinerary.
Norwegian said: ‘We appreciate our guests’ patience and understanding during this unexpected interruption to their journey.’
Norwegian Epic is a passenger cruise ship built in 2010 and currently sailing under the flag of the Bahamas.
It’s not the first time a cruise vessel has jumped to attention to save lives.
Earlier this year, a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship reportedly rescued 12 people who were lost at sea after the luxury liner diverted its route in order to avoid a storm.
Enchantment of the Seas veered off course in September in order to avoid hurricane Humberto and tropical storm Imelda.
The luxury vessel, operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines, rescued dozens of migrants off the Greek coast last week
It found a raft of a dozen people during its journey from Tampa, Florida, to Costa Maya, Mexico.
Cruise ships will always carry out such a rescue when they encounter any vessel that may be in distress at sea, it was reported.
A rescue craft was sent to the group in distress.
Once the individuals were rescued from the raft and brought onto the ship, they were given drinking water.
