On July 18, 2026, while on a seven-day cruise from Vancouver to Alaska, the Emerald Princess encountered a mysterious object in the waters approximately 13 nautical miles southeast of Port Alexander. Around 8:00 PM, passengers aboard reported that the ship changed course to investigate the object, which turned out to be a lifeboat adrift in the sea.
The lifeboat was found capsized and heavily worn, displaying the labels “lifeboat” and “rescue boat” on its side, yet there were no signs of any personnel aboard or a nearby ship it could have come from. This led to an intriguing atmosphere among the guests, who quickly dubbed it the “ghost lifeboat.”
Under international maritime regulations stipulated by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the Emerald Princess was obliged to investigate such findings. Similar instances in the past had led to successful rescues, highlighting the importance of these regulations.
The crew maintained communication with the U.S. Coast Guard as the ship circled the lifeboat for about an hour. Passengers speculated on the boat’s origins until the captain announced that the Coast Guard had cleared them and the lifeboat was confirmed to be abandoned.
It was later revealed that the lifeboat belonged to the Morning Midas, a cargo ship that sank in June 2025. Following a fire believed to be caused by a lithium battery failure, the ship sank after all 22 crew members were safely evacuated aboard lifeboats. The Morning Midas eventually sank about twenty days after the incident, leaving behind this haunting reminder of the dangers at sea.
The Emerald Princess resumed its journey, docking in Ketchikan on July 19, with a scheduled return to Vancouver on July 21, reflecting on how quickly situations can change at sea and the importance of safety protocols.
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