The Sun Princess has come to the rescue of five people who had been floating in a stricken vessel adrift at sea for 48 hours.
The group, some of which were family members of a senior Vanuatu Government minister, were successfully rescued west of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu waters after midnight on Tuesday.
The Sun Princess was around 115 nautical miles from the stranded vessel and the ship diverted from its course to Champagne Bay to rescue the five people. The group were rescued at around 1am local time.
The Sun Princess then resumed its scheduled passage to Champagne Bay and yesterday, Vanuatu government officials boarded the Sun Princess where they thanked the Captain and crew for their valiant efforts.
Princess Cruises Vice President Australia & New Zealand Stuart Allison said, “We’re pleased that we were able to assist in this successful search and rescue operation and we’re relieved that all five passengers are recovering from their experience.
“It must have been a huge relief for the five people onboard the stranded boat to see a big white cruise ship appear on the scene when they were in such need.
“The successful rescue operation demonstrates the strong bond we have with island communities in the South Pacific. We were very pleased that we could play a role in achieving such a positive outcome.”
