Drunk man jumps into sea, rescued

SYDNEY - An Australian cruise ship in the South Pacific Tuesday had to turn a full circle to pick up a drunken passenger who jumped overboard after an all-night party.

It took the 70,000-tonne Pacific Dawn 45 minutes to return to the point where the 22-year-old Sydney man was seen by crew leaping from the deck.

A spokesman for P&O Cruises said the Pacific Dawn was near Port Vila, Vanuatu, on a 10-day cruise from Sydney when the incident occurred.

‘The passenger was rescued quickly because of the immediate reaction of our crew,’ the spokesman said. ‘It was a textbook rescue operation and we are very pleased that our passenger was returned safely to the ship.’

The passenger will be put off at Port Vila.