An excursion catamaran sank in Samaná Bay, Dominican Republic, leaving dozens of people stranded. The incident took place on Sunday, November 9, after internal hull damage caused the boat to take on water.
The captain of the boat immediately contacted first responders and other boats in the area. The Dominican Navy responded promptly and helped rescue over 50 people. All passengers were rescued and no serious injuries were reported.
A video of the incident can be seen below:
The excursion boat had passengers from the cruise ship Mein Schiff 1, which is currently on a 14-day Caribbean voyage.
A spokesperson from TUI Cruises, the operator of the Mein Schiff 1, confirmed in a statement all the guests were safe and returned to the cruise ship.
The statement read: “The guests affected were immediately offered pastoral care and compensation. All of them decided to continue the trip. We are continuing to investigate the incident together with the provider and the relevant authorities. The safety and well-being of our guests is our top priority.”
The cruise continued its voyage with its next stop planned for Costa Maya, Mexico.
Cruise lines may face legal liability for accidents that occur during excursions. Cruise lines are responsible for ensuring excursion boats are safe and properly operated. The Dominican Navy is working with local authorities to determine the cause of the accident.
We last wrote about an excursion boat incident in March when an excursion ship from AIDA Cruises sank in Colombia due to poor weather.
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