Liner sailed past fishermen dying in their drifting boat

The British captain of a luxury cruise liner that sailed straight past three drifting fishermen, two of whom later died, is said to be devastated after he was not told of the men's plight.

The Panamanian fishermen had been adrift in a tiny open boat in the Pacific Ocean for 16 days and had no food left when the 950ft Star Princess sailed into view. In jubilation they waved for help and passengers on the ship's deck spotted them, took photographs and alerted the crew. But to the amazement of both the fishermen and the passengers, the ship did not stop and pick them up.

That night Elvis Oropeza Betancourt, 31, the captain of the 10ft fishing vessel Fifty Cents, died from lack of water and exposure. A second fisherman, Fernando Osario, 16, perished five days later.

The sole survivor, Adrian Vasquez, 18, was rescued 12 days after the encounter with the Star Princess, which happened on March 10. He was found near the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles from the town of Rio Hato, Panama, from which the fishing boat had sailed. Mr Vasquez survived on rain water and raw fish after casting his friends' bodies into the ocean. Recalling the harrowing moment when the Star Princess sailed by, Mr Vasquez said: "It was big. It was white. We felt happy, because we thought they were coming to rescue us. God will not forgive them. Today, I still feel rage when I remember that."

The ship's operator, California-based Princess Cruises, said that the messages from passengers had never reached the captain, Edward Perrin, and an investigation had been launched. "There appeared to be a breakdown in communication in relaying the passenger's concern. Neither Captain Edward Perrin nor the officer of the watch were notified," a spokesman said.

"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. We deeply regret this incident and are continuing our investigation to fully understand the circumstances."

The operator said its ships had been involved in more than 30 rescues at sea in the past decade. Perrin, who previously served in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, is one of its most experienced captains.

When the Star Princess passed the fishing boat it was more than 100 miles from land, and the motor on Fifty Cents had given out. It was spotted by a group of birdwatchers on the cruise liner who were using binoculars and telescopes. The two vessels were just over a mile apart, according to passengers.

Judy Meredith, 61, one of the birdwatchers, from Bend, Oregon, described seeing a man waving a red T-shirt. She said: "You don't wave a shirt like that just to be friendly. He was desperate to get our attention. We were kind of freaking out."

She was not allowed to go to the bridge herself to tell the captain, and the only crew member she could find was a member of the ship's sales team. The birdwatchers said they showed the crew member the drifting boat through a telescope. When the liner did not stop they believed the crew must have alerted the coastguard or Panamanian authorities.

Jeff Gilligan, 65, a passenger, from Portland, Oregon, said: "It was very disturbing. Whether something else could have been done, that's a bit frustrating to think about."

Photographs taken by Gilligan were later shown to Vasquez who said: "That is us. You can see there, the red sweater I'm waving and, above it is the sheet that we put up to protect us from the sun."

The Star Princess, which has four pools, a nine-hole putting green, a casino, and room for 2,500 passengers, was on a cruise around South America. Princess Cruises is run by Carnival, the world's largest cruise ship operator.

Another subsidiary of Carnival operated the Costa Concordia liner which ran aground off Italy in January leading to the deaths of 32 people.