A passenger fell off a Carnival cruise ship this morning as it sailed into Tampa but eventually was rescued by one of the port's pilot vessels.

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."

U.S. Coast Guard officials report the passenger's name is Larry Miller and that he is 46 years old....