The Carnival Spirit has come to the rescue of a $20 million luxury superyacht and its crew after they were stranded at sea for more than 24 hours.

The Spirit which was in the area, responded to a distress call when the superyacht, Masteka 2, lost its steering and started taking on water about 260km from Port Macquarie.

The Carnival Spirit rescued two female crew members before resuming its voyage to New Caledonia.

Four crew member remained onboard the Masteka 2 to try and repair the damaged boat.

The Carnival Spirit was told by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to remain with the yacht until they arrived to assist.

To help the vessel, AMSA dropped two de-watering pumps and tools to help the $20 million superyacht. It is believed Masteka 2 arrived back in Sydney yesterday.

An hour on the superyacht costs $3,000 an hour and has three levels including a hot tub on the top deck.

It is the second time in two weeks that Carnival Australia ships have come to the rescue. Last week, the Sun Princess rescued five people adrift in a disabled vessel off Vanuatu.

Read about last week’s heroic efforts here.