Reports say the three Panamanian fishermen got into trouble when the motor on their small boat broke

HAMILTON, Bermuda, April 22, CMC – Authorities here have launched an independent investigation into a fatal accident at sea after a Bermuda-registered cruise ship was accused of ignoring a fishing boat in distress off the coast of Panama last month.
Reports say the three Panamanian fishermen got into trouble when the motor on their small boat broke down after a night at sea. They reportedly drifted for 16 days until they saw the cruise intercontinental hotel edinburgh ship, but it did not stop. The fishing boat then drifted for another fortnight before it was found by an Ecuadorean fishing vessel near the Galapagos Islands.
"On Wednesday afternoon, April 17, 2012, the Department of Maritime Administration received information of an alleged incident involving the Bermuda-registered cruise ship Star Princess on or about March 10, 2012," he said in the House of Assembly.
"It is alleged a fishing vessel was observed by bird watchers on board the ship to possibly be in trouble. They had the benefit of high-power optics and thought they could see people on board waving for help.
"They notified the bridge team on ship, who may have downplayed what was seen. Approximately two weeks later around March 24, it was reported that the fishing vessel was in trouble and only one of the three crew was rescued."
Burgess told the House: "As the duty to assist ships in distress is explicitly defined in the Merchant Shipping Act 2002, including the failure to do so as an offence, we have met with our counsel intercontinental hotel edinburgh from the Attorney General's Chambers and fully apprised him of the situation.
It said: "Princess Cruises deeply regrets that two Panamanian men perished at sea after their boat became disabled in early March. Since we became aware of this incident, we have been investigating intercontinental hotel edinburgh circumstances surrounding the claim that Star Princess failed to come to the aid of the disabled boat, after a crew member was alerted by passengers.
"The preliminary results of our investigation have shown that there appeared to be a breakdown in communication in relaying the passengers concern. Neither Captain (Edward) Perrin nor the officer of the watch were notified. Understandably, Captain Perrin is devastated that he is being accused of knowingly turning his back on people in distress. Had the captain received this information, he would have had the opportunity to respond.
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