Noordam rescues 22 in Aegean Sea

[bepsf]

From Seatrade Insider this am:
"Holland America Line’s Noordam rescued 22 people from the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece early yesterday morning. The individuals, believed to be refugees from a number of countries, had been sailing on a boat that capsized.
Rescue operations began as soon as a sailor spotted a person floating in the water. One fast rescue boat and two tenders were lowered and the 22 people, all wearing life jackets, were brought aboard within two hours and 15 minutes. One child, who had not been wearing a life vest, was later found dead by Greek officials. Medical staff on the Noordam treated the individuals.

The Noordam arrived in Kusadasi, Turkey, at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, approximately two hours behind schedule. Holland America said Turkish authorities began processing the refugees and later permitted them to disembark for handling in accordance with international procedures."

CHEERS TO OUR HEROES ON NOORDAM!

[sail7seas]

Oh my Goodness.........How wonderful Noordam happened to be in the area and able to make these rescues. Bless the crew of that magnificent ship. They saved precious life!!!!

[boomerSexyK]

Read this news article on the front page to-day. Bravo to the Noordam and her crew.!!! Of course, the law of the sea states that you MUST provide all possible assistance to people in these circumstances, but it is still a heart-warming instance of humanity.

[Copper10-8]

Great job by the Noordam and her crew! Reminds me of a plague on Veendam next to the Front Office that talks about her crew's efforts in searching the Atlantic ocean off Peggy's Cove for survivors of Swissair Flight 111 in SEP 98 unfortunately with negative results. One of the things you don't hear much about but cruise ships crews are trained and do participate in rescues at sea.

[jhannah]

What a great thing. It's good they were in the right place at the right time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

[B]Thankfully the Noordam was in the area to rescue them.

Now I bet there will be some people on the Noordam complaining because they arrived 2 hours late at the port and will want some compensation - they care more about themselves than the lives that were saved.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

How Wonderful that the Noordam was there to help.:) It is great to finally hear some good news that the Cruise Ship Industry can be of help, and good it was a HAL ship;)

[dakrewser]

A couple that will be on the Prinsendam with us later this month (in fact, we'll spend three days touring St. Petersburg together) are currently on the Noordam. I'll be sure to get he full story from them!

[griswalds]

I am not sure why we need a negative comment to such a fortunate event.

Griswalds


[B]Thankfully the Noordam was in the area to rescue them.

Now I bet there will be some people on the Noordam complaining because they arrived 2 hours late at the port and will want some compensation - they care more about themselves than the lives that were saved.

[dakrewser]

I am not sure why we need a negative comment to such a fortunate event.

Griswalds

Perhaps when you've cruised as much as KK you too will be considered an expert on how passengers will behave in a given instance. Still, I imagine it was said rathertongue in cheek - no matter how true it may be...

[kakalina]

Congratulations to all the staff and crew of the Noordam for a timely and safe resuce effort with good results for all involved.

[sail7seas]

I saw a photo of a 'fast rescue boat' the ship dropped to use in the rescue. I never saw this boat on any ship before and wonder where it is stowed. They also dropped tenders.

Not only did sailors get in the water do effect these rescues but ranking officers as well.

I'm sure there had to be risk to all the brave HAL crew while assisting these people who were in dire peril.

Sure makes be proud of HAL and the fine crews on all her ships.

Well Done!


[/B]

[sail7seas]

I saw a photo of a 'fast rescue boat' the ship dropped to use in the rescue. I never saw this boat on any ship before and wonder where it is stowed. They also dropped tenders.

Not only did sailors get in the water do effect these rescues but ranking officers as well.

I'm sure there had to be risk to all the brave HAL crew while assisting these people who were in dire peril.

Sure makes be proud of HAL and the fine crews on all her ships.

Well Done!


[/B]

[Copper10-8]

I saw a photo of a 'fast rescue boat' the ship dropped to use in the rescue. I never saw this boat on any ship before and wonder where it is stowed. They also dropped tenders.

Not only did sailors get in the water do effect these rescues but ranking officers as well.

I'm sure there had to be risk to all the brave HAL crew while assisting these people who were in dire peril.

Sure makes be proud of HAL and the fine crews on all her ships.

Well Done!


[/b]

The Navy has been using them for some time now. They are called a RHIB (or RIB) for Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boat. They have glass-reinforced or aluminum hulls and are powered with one or two powerful outboard engines making them extremely maneuverable. Their speed depends on the powerplant but some can go as fast as 40 knots. HAL ships usually carry one, in addition to the standard tenders, on promenade deck usually on port side aft (forward on the Vista's).

[smeyer418]

Congradulations to the Crew of the Noordam and to HAL. Gives a new and positive meaning to Holland Assisted Living....

[sail7seas]

Congradulations to the Crew of the Noordam and to HAL. Gives a new and positive meaning to Holland Assisted Living....


Life Saving is what best describes it, IMO

[noblepa]

On our recent Oosterdam cruise, I got a good look at the fast rescue boats. IIRC, there were two, one on each side of the ship. They are stowed far forward on the promenade deck, so that they can be launched without interfering with the operation of the regular lifeboats/tenders.

They have inflatable hulls, with a rigid platform between. There was a large-ish Volvo Penta diesel engine driving a jet drive; no propeller. It looked like there was room for only about three or four people. I guesstimate that they are about eighteen or twenty feet long.

While we aboard, the crew was changing the oil in the engine of one of them and, perhaps, topping off its fuel tank.

I don't remember seeing one on the Veendam last year, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there.

Paul Noble

[bepsf]

I remember seeing them in the water while in port - I guess the crew were running drills...

If anyone has pix of these boats on the water and could post them, that would be really cool for others who aren't familiar with them.
:)

[sail7seas]

I'll see if I can post from an e-mail I got which contained a photo of the rescue in progress. I'll try to copy and paste it.

[sail7seas]

Sorry......I tried to copy and paste but it didn't work.

[obriendan]

A rigid-inflatable boat (RIB) or rigid-hulled inflatable boat, (RHIB) is a light-weight but high performance and high capacity boat constructed with a solid, shaped hull (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/wiki/Hull_%28ship%29) and flexible tubes at the gunwale (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/wiki/Gunwale). The generic design is very stable and seaworthy. The hull provides efficient performance in the water. The inflatable collar means that buoyancy (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/wiki/Buoyancy) is not lost if a large quantity of water is shipped aboard. The RIB is a development of the inflatable boat (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/wiki/Inflatable_boat). (from Wikipedia)

Here is a picture of one from the USS Cole:

[bepsf]

Sorry......I tried to copy and paste but it didn't work.



Send it here - if its not too big I may be able to post for ya
bep_sf@yahoo.com (bep_sf@yahoo.com)
;)

[BJane]

I remember seeing them hanging near the front of the ship at the end of the row of life boats, but can't recall whether it was on HAL or RCI ships. Several years ago we were given a private tour of the bridge prior to having dinner at the Captain's table. As we were leaving St. Thomas the Captain was notified that two passengers had been left on the dock. He ordered a rescue boat launched to bring them to the ship.

[Copper10-8]

Here's a pic

[sail7seas]

A rigid-inflatable boat (RIB) or rigid-hulled inflatable boat, (RHIB) is a light-weight but high performance and high capacity boat constructed with a solid, shaped hull (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/wiki/Hull_%28ship%29) and flexible tubes at the gunwale (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/wiki/Gunwale). The generic design is very stable and seaworthy. The hull provides efficient performance in the water. The inflatable collar means that buoyancy (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/wiki/Buoyancy) is not lost if a large quantity of water is shipped aboard. The RIB is a development of the inflatable boat (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/wiki/Inflatable_boat). (from Wikipedia)

Here is a picture of one from the USS Cole:

The photo I received of the rescue in progress does not look much like that photo.

[Copper10-8]

And here's where they are stored on Oosterdam right in front of the first tender

[sail7seas]

Yes, John.......

From the angle of your photo (and the orange color :) ), that is what was in the picture I received.

Thank you.

[bepsf]

http://www.cruisenewsdaily.com/fp60607-s.jpg

[Copper10-8]

Good shot of that, Brian. Thanks for posting!

[dixieagle]

Hello to all,

DH and I just disembarked this morning after the 5/31 Eastern Mediterranean cruise on the Noordam. Great cruise, beautiful ship,and far more excitement than we would have liked! Many passengers heard the people in the water calling for help (very early am last Tuesday) and everyone on board seemed aware by breakfast time. Unfortunately, one child drowned before the rescue. We were a couple hours late getting into Kusadasi, but no one complained (great support for the captain; we had heard that several other ships passed the people by.) However, we didn't leave Turkey until Wednesday evening- a full day late, thereby necessitating missing the Malta visit entirely (a great disappointment to many on board, but apparently necessary. I heard nothing but support for the captain and crew.) However, there were no accolades for the Turkish government, which essentially held the Noordam and its passengers captive, if you will (security boats patrolled the harbor so we couldn't "make a break for it") while negotiations continued. It is my understanding that maritime law requires the next port of call to accept "refugees" such as these people were, but Turkey did not want to. It is apparently a common occurrence for desperate people fleeing their countries to try to make it to Greece. They were picked up in Greek waters, but Kusadasi, Turkey, was the next port. I don't think we'll ever know all the details, but believe me, we were all pretty pleased to leave Kusadi behind.

[bepsf]

Thanks for the update Dixie!
Glad that the pax were all supportive of the Captain and saving these lives.

It's a shame that the Turkish Authorities were so unpleasent about taking these folks ashore. I sure hope these brave souls don't end up being returned to the wars in Iraq and Somalia that they're trying to escape.

More info about the refugees and pix of the rescue here:
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news/opendoc.htm?tbl=NEWS&id=44883fba4

[sail7seas]

Agree with Brian but want to add that..........

On the other hand, Huge Congratulations to the (obviously) successful and excellent negotiations HAL representatives did with the Turkish authorities to compel them to honor International Law.

As they say.......... All's well that ends well and there today are 22 lucky souls living and well because the actions of the crew of Noordam.

Bless that ship and her crew!!!

[Navy_Chief]

As we like to say in the navy, Bravo Zulu to the captain and crew of the MS Noordam for coming to the aide of those in peril on the seas! Well done! Prayers for the child who lost his/her life in this tragic incident.

[RHefley228]

we had heard that several other ships passed the people by.

It's possible they didn't see them. The BRITANIS picked up a raft of refugees in '93 between Cuba and the Florida Keys on our way back to Miami, and the Captain explained later that what made him turn around was a radar contact, not a visual sighting, and that if the water had been choppier the raft likely would not have shown up on the radar. That was thirteen years ago, so perhaps that wouldn't be the case today, but I don't know.