Video: Brand new Disney cruise ship rescues sinking catamaran in Atlantic

A new Disney cruise ship, the Disney Treasure, has saved four people from a sinking catamaran in the Atlantic – before even making its maiden journey.

The dramatic incident occurred on Sunday (10 November 2024), when a 50-foot (15.2m) catamaran named the Serenity, located approximately 230 nautical miles southwest of Bermuda, began taking on water due to a failed gasket on its escape hatch, according to the US Coast Guard.

The Disney Treasure, a 341-metre, 144,236-gross-ton vessel, was the nearest ship to the scene, positioned about 80 miles from the stricken cat. The Coast Guard had received a distress call from the Serenity at 8.30am on Sunday and subsequently issued an emergency broadcast. Shortly after, the Disney Treasure received the call at around 11.40am and reached the site by 1.00pm. A crew of Disney Treasure launched a lifeboat and successfully rescued all four passengers from the sinking vessel.

“We are pleased that the Disney Treasure was able to provide aid to the boat passengers in peril,” Captain Marco Nogara of the Disney Treasure said in a media statement issued to US outlets, including ABC News and CBS News. “Our crew members worked together on the rescue, skillfully demonstrating their training and commitment to safety.”

The Disney Treasure was on its repositioning journey from its builders at Meyer Werft in the Netherlands to its new home port at Port Canaveral, Florida. The ship, designed to accommodate up to 1,555 crew members and has 1,256 staterooms, was on the final leg of its transatlantic crossing and only had crew on board. The ship is scheduled to embark on its maiden voyage, a seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise, on 21 December.

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The four rescued individuals, temporarily becoming the ship’s first ‘passengers’, were taken aboard Disney Treasure while the Serenity was left behind. The ship is expected to arrive in Port Canaveral today (12 November), where it will undergo final preparations and training ahead of its December launch.