Man who went overboard tread water for 22 hours before ‘miraculous’ rescue

MIAMI – A cruise ship worker who went overboard and apparently treaded water for some 22 hours was in stable condition Monday, a day after being rescued by a crew from another passing cruise ship.

“It was nothing short of miraculous,” Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement.

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According to the U.S. Coast Guard the 33-year-old crew member went overboard around 3:20 p.m. Saturday from the Norwegian Getaway, some 28 miles (45 kilometres) northwest of Pinar del Rio, Cuba. The agency suspended the search Saturday evening after hours of searching.

But a cabin steward from the Carnival Glory spotted the crew member in the water around 1:20 p.m. Sunday.

Carnival spokeswoman AnnMarie Matthews told The Associated Press the man did not have any safety device on when he was picked up by the Carnival Glory and they “can only surmise that he was likely treading water the entire time.”

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“Kudos to the Carnival Glory team for this amazing effort to rescue a fellow seafarer,” Duffy said.

Norwegian said in a statement that the Miami-based cruise line is “extremely thankful” to Carnival Cruise Line, also based in Miami.

“We are so happy to know that the individual is safe and will soon be reunited with friends and family,” the Norwegian statement said.

The Getaway returned to Miami from an eight-day cruise on Sunday. The Glory continued on to Cozumel in the midst of a seven-day cruise.