Man rescued near Fort DeSoto after falling off cruise ship

Crewmembers from a pilot vessel rescued a man at about 6:50 a.m., about one mile southeast of Mullet Key, in Fort Desoto, in St. Petersburg, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Larry Miller, 46, reported to the pilot boat crew that he went overboard from the cruise ship Carnival Inspiration at about 4 a.m., while it was returning to the Port of Tampa.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a report from the pilot vessel at about 7 a.m., stating that they had found Miller clinging to a buoy in the shipping channel.

The pilot vessel crew safely transported Miller to the Fort Desoto boat ramp, where EMS was waiting to take him to Bayfront Medical Center, in St. Petersburg.

The Coast Guard is investigating the incident.

Canival says the man told authorities he slipped after climbing up on a railing to get a better view of the pilot boat, according to The Associated Press. The ship was returning from a four-day cruise.

The case remains under investigation.

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