Cruise ship worker rescued 22 hours after going overboard

A cabin steward from the Carnival Glory spotted the stricken crew member who had fallen off Norwegian Getaway in the water. Photo / Getty

A cruise ship worker who went overboard and was apparently treading water for about 22 hours was in stable condition on Monday, a day after being rescued by a crew from another passing cruise ship.

"It was nothing short of miraculous," Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement.

According to the US Coast Guard the 33-year-old crew member went overboard around 3.20pm on Saturday from the Norwegian Getaway, some 45 kilometres northwest of Pinar del Rio, Cuba. The agency suspended the search Saturday evening after hours of searching.

Rescue @ sea today! Carnival Glory. Search/rescue. Not our man overboard but man treading for at least a day. Tears & cheers. #Rescue pic.twitter.com/z5TRc7ETj5

— Debbie Mortham (@DebbieMortham) July 1, 2018

But a cabin steward from the Carnival Glory spotted the crew member in the water around 1.20pm on Sunday.

Carnival spokeswoman AnnMarie Matthews told the Associated Press the man did not have any safety device on when he was picked up by the Carnival Glory and they "can only surmise that he was likely treading water the entire time".

"Kudos to the Carnival Glory team for this amazing effort to rescue a fellow seafarer," Duffy said.

#BreakingNews Missing cruise ship crewmember found and rescued 21 miles north of Cuba. @USCG cutter and aircrews searched more than 1,630 square miles. Read more here https://t.co/HSLfPfZbbH pic.twitter.com/nw9HvHcSU6

— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) July 1, 2018

Norwegian said in a statement that the Miami-based cruise line is "extremely thankful" to Carnival Cruise Line, also based in Miami.

"We are so happy to know that the individual is safe and will soon be reunited with friends and family," the Norwegian statement said.

The Getaway returned to Miami from an eight-day cruise on Sunday. The Glory continued on to Cozumel in the midst of a seven-day cruise.

- AP