Been playing PR1 for the first time after a few years of SM Pirates! So still getting the hang of it.

One thing has intrigued me and not sure if it is just eye candy or something more. Occasionally I see a guy floating on a raft waving a flag. Is it possible to pick up these shipwreck survivors? or are they just there for visual enjoyment?

I know in PR2 you can pick up survivors (in fact, you even get money for transferring them to a specific city), but I don't remember you can do so in PR1 (I recall trying to do it myself and not succeeding, but I could be wrong; it has been some time ago). I *think* they are only for eye candy.
I might check it out myself, but I can't promise I'll run into them; their appearance is quite random.

You can't pick up any survivors or interact with the raft (atleast, I never have been able to). However, I have a feeling they indicate a recent attack/sunk ship. Not 100% about this though.