Carnival Sensation Cruise Ship Rescues Stranded Sailors off Florida Coast

(2:15 p.m. EDT) -- Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Sensation came to the aid of a vessel in distress off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida over the weekend.

On Saturday as the 1993-built Carnival Sensation sat in international waters off the coast of Florida, it responded to a distress call from a small open-air vessel carrying 24 passengers.

The crew of Carnival Sensation provided the stricken craft with blankets, life jackets, and food and water. When it became apparent that the smaller craft was taking on water, Carnival Sensation's crew launched a rescue effort, taking the 24 passengers onboard.

The 24 rescued individuals hailed from multiple countries and included two children.

Carnival Sensation's onboard medical team assessed each of the rescued passengers and quarantined them away from the rest of the crew.

Carnival notified all relevant authorities in the United States, and a United States Coast Guard cutter transported the 24 individuals from the Carnival Sensation to shore.

Cruise ships like Carnival Sensation are currently prohibited from entering U.S. waters without prior authorization as a result of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s standing "No-Sail" order.

Like the rest of the Carnival fleet, Carnival Sensation is currently in an operational pause with minimum operational manning status and a limited compliment of essential crew. No passengers were onboard at the time of the rescue.

Cruise ships routinely aid in the rescue of sailors in distress, and as this weekend's events show, continue to do so even as the majority of worldwide cruises sit in an operational pause due to the global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.