On February 28th, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, “Brilliance of the Seas”, rescued 11 Cuban rafters adrift in the Yucatán Channel. The migrants, at risk of drowning, received medical assistance, water, and food before being transported to Cozumel, Mexico.
On Wednesday, the crew of Brilliance of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean and chartered by VACAYA, a vacation company for the LGBTIQ+ community, spotted a distressed vessel near the Yucatán Peninsula. Acting swiftly, the crew launched a pilot boat to rescue the Cuban immigrants in small groups and brought them on board. The migrants, who were exhausted and showing signs of malnutrition, had been stranded at sea for at least one or two days. At the moment of rescue, their fragile boat was damaged and taking on water.
Randle Roper-Olson, executive director of VACAYA, witnessed the event and described the scene. “The captain of Brilliance of the Seas spotted a ship in the distance that appeared to be in trouble. They sent a pilot boat with crew members to the stranded vessel, and from a distance, they could see at least 10 people on board. The refugees were bailing water from the ship; it was disabled, adrift, and taking on water.”
Roper-Olson shared his experience on Facebook, expressing the emotional impact of the rescue. “In my 22 years in the industry, I have never had such an emotional day. It is sad that some people have to go through such trauma in the hope of finding a better life.” He also revealed that through VACAYA’s philanthropic program ReachOUT, money was raised to support the Cuban immigrants.
Julie Brown, an actress, dancer, and MTV icon performing on the cruise, documented the rescue operation in real time on social media. “We are currently in the middle of a live rescue operation. The ship’s captain thought he saw a vessel in distress, so we made a complete turnaround. The rescue boat has gone out four times and collected three passengers each time. All of them underwent medical examinations and were being well taken care of.”
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) confirmed that the rescued individuals were Cuban migrants and would not be taken to the U.S. “The Coast Guard was notified of the rescue of the 11 Cuban immigrants near the Yucatán Peninsula by the cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas,” stated Third Class Petty Officer Anthony Randisi. The authorities, in coordination with the ship’s crew, decided to disembark the migrants in Cozumel, Mexico, the nearest port of call before the cruise returned to the United States.
The Brilliance of the Seas departed from New Orleans on February 22 for a seven-night journey through the Caribbean Sea. The USCG routinely conducts immigration control operations in the Gulf of Mexico to detect illegal immigrants and illicit narcotics and prevent their entry into the U.S.
