Dramatic video shows Coast Guard rescuing man who went overboard on Carnival cruise

Table Of Content

• Dramatic video shows Coast Guard rescuing man who went overboard on Carnival cruise
• ‘Miracle': Missing cruise ship passenger found OK in water
• Carnival Cruise passenger, 26, reported missing after ship returns to Florida
• Kevin McGrath Update: Carnival Cruise Under Pressure Over Missing Passenger
• news Alerts
• What We Know About Search For Missing Carnival Cruise Passenger Who Disappeared In Gulf Of Mexico

When the family gathered for breakfast in the morning, McGrath did not show up. Miami Dade police confirmed to USA Today that a search by ship staff and security took place once all passengers had disembarked, but McGrath was nowhere to be found. USCG Lt. Seth Gross, a Sector New Orleans search and rescue mission coordinator, said the Carnival Valor had traveled 200 miles into the Gulf of Mexico since the missing passenger was last seen. That translated to a search area of more than 7,000 square nautical miles - roughly the size of the state of Massachusetts. Carnival Cruise Line tells WWL-TV that the 28-year-old man was reported missing around noon on Thursday while the ship was on its way to Cozumel.

Dramatic video shows Coast Guard rescuing man who went overboard on Carnival cruise

A 2020 study from the industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association found that 19 people go overboard cruise ships each year on average. At least six people have gone overboard in the last three months, promoting debate over whether cruise ships should be required to install man-overboard detection systems. He was reported missing at approximately 7 a.m on Monday, a spokesperson with the cruise line told Insider. The Coast Guard has searched 3,600 square nautical miles for the missing passenger while dealing with difficult search conditions including limited visibility, large swells and gale force winds, according to Petty Officer Jose Hernandez.

‘Miracle': Missing cruise ship passenger found OK in water

McGrath’s disappearance comes just one week after a young college student fell overboard off the world’s largest cruise ship, the Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas. This is not the first person to go missing from the Carnival Valor this year. In February, a 32-year-old woman jumped overboard 150 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Carnival Cruise passenger, 26, reported missing after ship returns to Florida

But BI previously reported that many ships had yet to implement newer technology that automatically detects when a person goes overboard by using thermal cameras and radars that promptly alert crew members. Barnett was traveling with family aboard the Carnival Glory ship, a 13-deck, 110,000-ton boat with the capacity to carry 2,980 passengers. There have been several instances of people going overboard on the ship, including a 35-year-old who jumped into the water near Florida in 2007 and was rescued eight hours later.

The Coast Guard confirmed that its crews are "actively searching near the Port of Miami and along the South Florida shore" after the missing person's report Monday. Miami-Dade police issued a missing person's alert Tuesday morning for McGrath, who was last seen in a black shirt, shorts and gray sneakers. Police said he "may be in need of services" and asked anyone with information to contact authorities. "Carnival Valor retraced its route to support the search and rescue," Lupoli said, and the ship has since been released by the Coast Guard and is again sailing toward Cozumel, Mexico.

The cruise ship's operator, Carnival Cruise Line, told Insider in a statement that the man — whose identity was not immediately released — was reported missing by his companion late Monday afternoon. Carnival Cruises is continuing its investigation into McGrath’s disappearance and has been repeatedly reviewing closed-circuit video footage from the ship, a spokesperson told The Post Thursday. “A search of the ship’s cameras and security devices did not indicate he went overboard,” a police spokesperson told The Post.

“He can be seen climbing on a lifeboat and jumping from there,” the spokesperson said. The search for Barnett was called off Thursday after authorities scoured more than 5,600 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico, to no avail, the Coast Guard announced. McGrath was with a big group of relatives on the three-day cruise to celebrate his father’s 60th birthday, his sister Danielle McGrath told USA Today. The US Coast Guard suspended its search Thursday for a Carnival Cruise passenger who mysteriously vanished from the ship during a family vacation to celebrate his father’s 60th birthday. "I will say one of the highlights of my Coast Guard career was calling the family who was onboard the Carnival Valor to letting them know their son was alive and en route to additional medical care," Lt. Gross said. "Truly just a miracle especially on a holiday like Thanksgiving where it's predominantly around family and spending time together."

She was never found, though several people have reported sightings, including a U.S. Merrian Carver was 40 when she went missing on a seven-day Royal Caribbean cruise in 2004 and her father later founded the International Cruise Victims organization. He claims Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises tried to cover up his daughter’s disappearance and worked against his investigators in the wake of the incident.

Under the 2010 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, cruise ships must have 42-inch guard rails and man-overboard imaging or detection systems. However, not all cruise ships have implemented recently developed automatic man-overboard-detection technology, which uses thermal cameras and radars to immediately alert crew members when a person goes overboard. A total of 212 overboard incidents were reported on cruise ships from 2009 to 2019, according to a report commissioned by the industry-trade group Cruise Lines International Association. "We are beyond grateful that this case ended with a positive outcome," said Lt. Seth Gross, a Sector New Orleans search and rescue mission coordinator. James Michael Grimes survived in the Gulf of Mexico for 20 hours after going overboard the Carnival Valor cruise ship last November. He said he spent hours treading water while fending off ocean dwellers and was ultimately spotted by the crew of a bulk carrier vessel before being rescued by the Coast Guard.

The ship is currently located in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean on its way to the Bahamas, cruise tracking data shows. "I have my moments where I break, but I'm keeping the faith," Reid said on Tuesday, before seeing the footage. "What's important to me is to know where he's at and to have him home, whether he's alive or not, I want his body to be home." The cruise line said teams were helping Barnett's family members who were still on board and that the US Coast Guard cleared Carnival Glory to carry on with its cruise. On Facebook, Mason said she and her family are in need of prayers as they await answers. “We are holding on to hope and prayer that he will be found safe,” she wrote.

Carnival crew conducted an "extensive" search on board the ship but failed to find McGrath. McGrath was not detected by any of the ship's surveillance systems, including security cameras and US Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process. While the chances of falling off a cruise ship are extremely low, at least nine other people have gone overboard this year, as BI previously reported.

“The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including US Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process,” the spokesperson added. Carnival said it had informed the Coast Guard and the man's family of the development. The cruise line didn't release the man's name — though the man's mother, Elisha Reid, told BI in an earlier interview that her son, Barnett, was the missing passenger.

Coast Guard crews searching for missing Carnival Glory passenger - WDSU New Orleans

Coast Guard crews searching for missing Carnival Glory passenger.

Posted: Wed, 15 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

In Carnival's statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson said that on Tuesday, they were "advised of the possibility of him wearing a different shirt, which allowed our security team to change the profile of the guest as we searched onboard video." The Coast Guard launched search and rescue crews Thursday afternoon and alerted nearby ships to be watchful. Police and federal authorities are searching for a man who was reported missing Monday morning after a Carnival cruise ship returned to Miami. Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The Coast Guard is searching for a Louisiana passenger, from the Carnival Glory cruise ship, who was reported missing and believed to have jumped overboard as the ship traveled between New Orleans and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Monday in his cabin as the Carnival Conquest reported back to the Port of Miami, Carnival said in a statement Tuesday. He was reported missing by his family and "was not located on board despite an extensive search." And on Memorial Day, a man went overboard from the Carnival Magic cruise ship into the Atlantic Ocean, about 186 miles east of Jacksonville. In July, another man was reported missing from the Carnival Elation cruise ship off the coast of Florida after he was believed to have deliberately jumped from the ship. While earlier reports indicated there was no video showing Barnett going overboard, security crews changed his profile after they were informed of the possibility that he was wearing a different shirt.

Coast Guard suspends search for Carnival Cruise passenger who vanished - NBC 6 South Florida

Coast Guard suspends search for Carnival Cruise passenger who vanished.

Posted: Thu, 07 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Tyler Barnett of Houma, Louisiana, was last seen onboard just after midnight on Monday, the Coast Guard reported, after the ship left New Orleans but before its next scheduled stop in Montego Bay on Wednesday. Tyler Lee Barnett, 28, of Houma was reported missing by a family member Monday morning, just one day after the Carnival Glory disembarked from New Orleans for a weeklong cruise. The petition claims Carnival confirmed that according to the "onboard MOBtronics system," McGrath did not go overboard—but the family have not seen "verifiable proof" that the ship has this system on board. They also said Carnival had told them the company did not have any CCTV footage of McGrath.

Matt Lupoli, a spokesperson for Carnival, told CBS News that the man was at a bar with his sister on Wednesday night, and he disappeared after leaving to use the restroom. His sister, whose identity has also not been made public, alerted crew to his absence when he did not return to his stateroom overnight. Passengers were told their arrival time to their port of call, Cozumel, would be delayed, he said. Later Thursday evening, an announcement over the PA system informed guests that there had been a man overboard incident, but the ship had been released from the search and was resuming travel to Cozumel.