Carnival Ship Rushes to the Rescue in Remote South Pacific

A cruise ship almost halfway through its eight-day adventure in the South Pacific made a startling discovery on Thursday as it plowed through ocean waters: a disabled catamaran with four people and three dogs on board. USA Today reports that the Carnival Splendor, which had departed from Sydney on Monday, received notice from New Caledonian officials of a distress call that had come in from the catamaran, at which point the larger vessel jumped into action. The Splendor "immediately headed towards the location and was able to reach the vessel five hours later to complete the rescue," the cruise line says in a release, which shows a photo of the rescued humans and pups.

"The two couples and their three dogs were safely welcomed onto Carnival Splendor and are receiving food, water, and medical assistance," the statement added, not IDing those rescued. The ship was set to continue on as scheduled to Vanuatu's Mystery Island on Friday, then on to the New Caledonian capital of Noumea the following day before returning to Australia. Meanwhile, another Carnival ship, the Paradise, helped rescue five people "in distress" last week, not far from Cuba as it headed from Key West, Florida, to the island of Jamaica, per People. (More Carnival Cruise Line stories.)