Oceania cruise ship outbound from Cape Town rescues 68 migrants in Atlantic

The Oceania Cruises ship Insignia has rescued 68 people that were adrift in the Atlantic approximately 440 miles south of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, a few weeks after setting sail on her West African cruise from Cape Town.

Insignia was notified of a vessel in distress by Spain’s maritime rescue and safety society, Salvamento Marítimo on Wednesday, after a cargo ship reported seeing a small, overloaded vessel in distress. 

The cruise ship was asked to divert and intervene because according to Associated Press, the migrants were “a long way out” and believed to be in danger.

The cargo vessel reportedly provided emergency first aid to the refugees, while Salvamento Maritimo coordinated the rescue with Insignia.

According to the Associated Press, the cruise ship took around two hours to reach the small boat, but rescue operations were hampered by bad weather.

The vessel was eventually able to transfer 62 men, three women, and three children onboard, and also recovered three bodies but were unable to recover two other deceased individuals aboard the small boat. 

A marker was placed aboard the small boat to help the Coast Guard locate it.

The rescued individuals were accommodated in the cruise ship’s lounge and given food and medical attention, with passengers donating what shoes and clothing they could. 

One of the rescued individuals later died, despite attempts by the ship’s medical team to stabilise them.

Insignia was bound for Tenerife at the time of writing, where the rescued passengers will be disembarked. Spain has sent a Coast Guard vessel to assist. Afterward, it will return to the rescue location to find the small boat.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said migrants attempting to reach the Canary Island present an ongoing challenge. More than 23,000 people have landed in 2024 after a record 55,618 migrants arrived by boat in 2023.  

Oceania Cruises is a boutique luxury cruise line, but under the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, all ships have a clear duty to assist those in distress, and Insignia was the only vessel in the area with the capacity for so many people.

The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa, with a population of around 2.2 million.