Do you have to rescue people at sea?


Do you have to rescue people at sea? The duty to render assistance at sea is a long-standing maritime tradition and peremptory norm that has been translated into international law.


Do cruise ships have to pick up refugees?

Most mariners will not hesitate to “do the right thing” and conduct a rescue. Indeed, the law of the sea requires them to do so. However, it is once the rescue is conducted and migrants are onboard that issues might arise.


Do cruise ships rescue people?

Most cruise ship rescues these days only involve a handful of people in distress. Other than a few hours spent sitting idle in the middle of the ocean, picking up sailors in distress doesn't typically have significant impacts on the itinerary of the cruise in progress.


How often do cruise ships rescue people?

Of the 212 overboard incidents mentioned earlier, 48 of those (roughly 28%) were rescued alive, CLIA reports. That amounts to four or five rescues each year. Any time an overboard occurs, cruise lines offer assistance to friends, family or other travel companions traveling with the passenger in question.


Has a child ever fallen off a cruise ship?

The overboard deaths of a 7-year-old boy and his mother show the most likely scenario when people fall off cruise ships. A young boy and his mother both died after going overboard a passenger ferry earlier this month.


How many people have fallen off cruise ships in 2023?

In 2023 thus far, there have been 10 overboard incidents affecting 11 people, according to data compiled by Ross Klein, a social work professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, who runs a cruise safety website. Nine of those eleven people died as a result.