"They said they had carried food and water for only one month and they had been in the sea for two months after the ship engine stalled, " police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody told the Reuters news agency.

BBC: Burmese rescued off Sri Lanka 'threw dead into sea'

In February this year, passengers were forced to spend nearly five days in the Gulf of Mexico aboard a stranded ship operated by Royal Caribbean rival Carnival after the ship was disabled by an engine-room fire.

BBC: Royal Caribbean cruise cancelled in Bahamas after fire

In 2010, the Carnival's cruise ship Splendor lost power after an engine room fire, leaving it drifting off the Pacific coast of Mexico.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Some passengers report sewage sloshing around in hallways, flooded rooms and trouble getting enough to eat after a fire in the ship's engine room Sunday left it drifting in the Gulf of Mexico.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Some on the ship reported sewage sloshing around in hallways, flooded rooms and trouble getting enough to eat after a fire in the ship's engine room Sunday left it drifting in the Gulf of Mexico.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

In the biggest high-profile incident in the U.S. in recent years, more than 3, 000 passengers aboard the Carnival Splendor were towed to shore in 2010 by a Mexican tugboat after an engine-room fire cut off the ship's electricity.

WSJ: Cruise Operators See Shares Fall, Defend Safety

Passengers and crew members on a cruise ship stranded in the Gulf of Mexico have limited access to food and bathrooms after a engine fire.

BBC: Limited amenities for stranded Carnival passengers