A Carnival cruise ship has responded to the distress SOS signal send by the luxury superyacht Masteka 2, off the NSW mid north coast in Australia. According to the marine safety authority, in the early morning hours on Tuesday the superyacht, with six crew members on board, lost steering and started taking on water around 140 nautical miles from Port Macquarie.

Immediately after receiving the distress call, Carnival Spirit informed the Maritime Authorities and diverted its course. Two injured female crew members working on the superyacht were taken onboard Carnival Spirit for medical treatment while the rest of the yacht personnel chose to stay on the boat to attempt repairs. A Carnival Australia spokesperson said both women were in good health and will continue with Carnival Spirit to New Caledonia.

The cruise ship stayed on the scene to monitor the 120-foot superyacht and provide any further assistance. Australian Maritime Safety Authority send Dornier aircraft from Brisbane to drop two de-watering pumps and a tugboat is headed to the scene expected to arrive tomorrow.

The $20 million superyacht Masteka 2 has three decks and capacity to accommodate 12 guests and 6 crew members and costs $3000 per hour to rent.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority - AMSA expressed their gratitude for the assistance by Carnival cruise ship saying “A big thank you to the Master and crew of the Carnival Spirit for their assistance today with a superyacht in distress off the NSW coast. The Carnival Spirit evacuated two crew members and provided supplies to the yacht which had lost steering and was taking on water. AMSA's Brisbane Dornier 328 search and rescue plane dropped two water pumps and satellite phones to the yacht and the crew have now stopped the leak and are waiting on a tow.”

photo credit amsa