Pilot boat rescues passenger after fall from Carnival cruiseliner

Carnival says the incident happened as the 2,052-passenger Carnival Inspiration was approaching Tampa's port channel at the end of a four-night voyage to Mexico. The passenger told authorities he had been climbing on a railing for a better view when he slipped, the line says.

Nobody on the ship immediately reported the passenger missing, and the line reportedly wasn't aware of the incident until it got word of the rescue.

"A male individual was seen in the water holding on to a pilot marker," the line says in a statement sent to USA TODAY. "The individual, who was subsequently identified as a guest from the Carnival Inspiration, was taken to a local hospital where he is being treated for his injuries."

The incident marks the second time in less than a month that a passenger on a Carnival ship has ended up in the water. An 18-year-old passenger was seen going overboard from the Carnival Fantasy late last month during a cruise out of New Orleans. He was never found.

There have been an unusually high number of "man overboard" incidents this year on cruise ships that include two other occurrences on Carnival, one on Norwegian Cruise Line and one on P&O Cruises. Only the P&O Cruises passenger was found and rescued.

Carnival says that upon learning of the situation this morning officers on the Carnival Inspiration notified appropriate authorities including the U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI.

"The guest told authorities that he climbed up on a railing to get a better view of the pilot boat when he slipped and fell overboard," the statement notes. "The incident remains under investigation."

The Carnival Inspiration was returning from a cruise that began in Tampa on Thursday, June 11. The ship is scheduled to depart on a five-day cruise this afternoon as scheduled.