| Summary (# of persons) -- 2000 - 2013 | |||||||||||||||
| 2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Total |
|
| Carnival Corp |
|||||||||||||||
| Carnival |
2 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
6 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
8 |
3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 50 |
|
| Costa |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 | 2 | 2 | 11 | |||||||
| Cunard |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
||||||||||
| Holland America |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
|||||||
| Ocean Village |
1 |
1 |
|||||||||||||
| P&O |
1 |
1 | 2 |
||||||||||||
| P&O Australia |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 | 4 |
||||||||||
| Princess |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
||||||
| Seabourn |
1 |
1 |
|||||||||||||
| Crystal |
1 |
2 |
3 |
||||||||||||
| RCCL |
|||||||||||||||
| Celebrity |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 | 4 | 10 | ||||||||
| RCI |
3 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
3 | 2 | 5 | 29 |
|||
| NCL (Star) |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
3 | 2 | 15 |
|||||
| Silversea |
1 |
1 |
2 |
||||||||||||
| Other |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
8 |
3 |
5 |
6 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 47 |
||
| Total |
9 |
5 |
4 |
9 |
12 |
16 |
22 |
20 |
10 |
25 |
20 | 22 | 23 | 4 | 200 |
| Source:
Cruise Junkie dot Com |
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| Date |
Ship Cruise Line |
Incident |
Disposition |
2013 (3 incidents, 4 persons) |
|||
| May 9 | Carnival Spirit Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Australian reports a major search has been launched off the New South Wales coast for a young couple missing overboard from a cruise ship. The alert was issued after the cruise ship Carnival Spirit docked in Sydney today after a 10-day Pacific voyage. Authorities were unable to find a 30-year-old man and 27-year-old woman, who had been travelling with family and friends. NSW Police Marine Area Commander Mark Hutchings said CCTV images from the ship indicated the pair went overboard from a deck about halfway up the ship's side about 8.50pm last night. He said it was too early to say whether they jumped or fell overboard, although it is understood their disappearance is not regarded as suspicious. He said no one among the 2680 people on the cruise ship was known to have witnessed the incident. Police say the marine search stretches from Sydney Harbour to Newcastle. Police and Australian Search and Rescue have pinpointed a search area about 60 nautical miles east of Forster on the state's mid-north coast. | Two pax overboard |
| March 24 | Coral Princess Princess Cruises |
A poster at Cruise Critic reports someone went overboard while we were out at sea (in the Carribean) and their body was later recovered. Around 2:00 - 2:30 Central time the Captain announced "Man overboard" and instructed the crew to their appropriate stations. The ship begain to slow down but of course it takes a long time to stop a ship this size. Sometime later we heard a page for a passenger. Then a bit later the Captain came on again to update us - he said that several passengers had witnessed someone going overboard. Then around 3:30 - 4:00 maybe (I may be off there) all passengers were ordered to their cabins so that they could check to be sure who was here. I later saw from my balcony a low flying prop plane (I think it was the US Coast Guard but I was looking into the sun and I'm not sure) circling a couple of times and more activity from the Princess rescue craft as we pretty much just stayed in one spot, occasionally rotating in place. Finally around 6:00 the Captain announced the sad news that the body had been recovered. One passenger said that they "heard" the person had been climbing on the rail, and while that is very believable, I have no idea if that is accurate or not. The person was traveling with at least one other person, and I can't imagine how they must be feeling right now. For those curious, the Captain announced we would be arriving at our next port of call (Grand Cayman) as scheduled. | Passenger overboard |
| February 12 | Fantasia MSC Cruises |
Brazilian press reports the search area for architect Luciano Lucca, 30, missing since Saturday night. The teams are now trying to find the tourist in high seas.The incident occurred in the channel of the Port in an area away from the river and beach moments before the ship starts its journey. However, more than 30 hours after the incident, the fire department mobilized its teams in the cities of São Vicente and Guaruja to enhance the search. Lucca was in a cab from the 11th floor of the ship, along with three other people when he fell from a height of about 40 meters, around 18:30. The Navy and Federal Police were triggered and performed on-site expertise, and the boat was only released around 0h20 Sunday. The Port filed an administrative proceeding to investigate the causes of the accident. Within 90 days, the procedure should determine the company or any member of the crew had responsibility in the case. The MSC Fantasia, the largest cruise ship that circulates Brazilian waters, has returned to the port of Santos scheduled for next Saturday, after undergoing Buzios (RJ), Salvador (BA) and Ilha Grande (RJ). |
Passenger overboard |
2012 (23 incidents; 23 persons) |
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| November 29 | Eurodam Holland America Line |
Associated Press reports the U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a Washington state man who has gone missing from a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad says two ships and a helicopter have been dispatched to search for the 42-year-old man, whose name has not been released. The man's wife reported him missing. The ship was traveling from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to the Bahamas when the man disappeared early Thursday. Holland America said in a statement that the ship turned around and has joined the search for the missing passenger. The ship left Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday for a seven-day cruise. | Pax missing |
| November 20 | Norlandia Ekero Line |
Cruise Ind reports Estonian news outlet ERR is reporting that a two passengers witnessed a man falling overboard into the Gulf of Finland. Authorities were called and after 45 minutes, a helicopter spotted the man treading water. He was transported back to the vessel. | Person overboard - rescued alive |
| October 28 | Unknown | YNet News reports a body found Friday off the Mediterranean Sea in the Sinai Peninsula may belong to a 43-year-old Hadera resident, who went missing on a cruise three weeks ago, police believe. Police are waiting for the results of the autopsy and for a final identification in order to determine the cause of death. Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm reported over the weekend that the man had been shot. The man, a taxi driver, went on a leisure cruise to Cyprus three weeks ago, but did not get off the ship after its return to Israel. His belongings remained on board. Following his absence, a complaint was filed wth the Haifa Police. The police launched an investigation into the incident after learning of the man's disappearance, collecting testimonies from the ship's crew and other passengers and checking security cameras. The man was reportedly seen in the ship's bar and pool area a day before the ship docked at Haifa Port. The body was discovered by Egyptian authorities and was transferred to Israel on Friday. It was taken to Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, where the circumstances of death are being examined. Police officials said there was a chance that the man had fallen off the ship and drowned and his body had been swept to the Sinai beach. "He went on a cruise and never came back. The police are investigating the issue," a family relative told Ynet. Here is additional information from the Jerusalem Post. The Times of Israel subsequently reported the man did not die as a result of a gunshot wound. | Body recovered |
| October 21 | Carnival Destiny Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a passenger: A female either jumped or fell overboard last night, she was rescued. Ship is making an unscheduled stop in Key West today to drop her off. WSVN News confirmed the report -- the woman is 29 year old and jumped off the ship near the Bahamas. She is now getting treatment at a Key West hospital. UPDATE:It was subsequently reported that the woman didn't jump. To the contrary, it was reported that she was drunk. She says she went out to the stateroom’s balcony after celebrating with her friends on the first night of her voyage. “I remember leaning back to look out at the ship and then falling,” she said. She dropped two stories before careening off a lifeboat and then falling another 5 stories into the midnight sea below. She says she screamed and tried to swim after the ship but it soon disappeared into the blackness. | Pax overboard - rescued alive |
| October 13 | Serenade of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
Cruise Law News reports a crew member disappeared from the ship earlier this morning. The Adnkronos newspaper in Rome reports the ship was sailing from Mykonos to Salermo. Upon arrival, it was discovered that a cabin steward was missing. The newspaper mentions that the last CCTV image of the crew member on the cruise ship was around 1:00 AM and shows the employee walking through a door. There apparently are no images of the crew member going overboard. The crew member is reportedly from the Philippines. The newspaper states that a search was conducted by five Coast Guard patrol boats and two aircraft. | Crew member missing |
| October 9 | Veendam Holland America Line |
CBC reports Halifax Regional Police are asking for the public's help in locating a 70-year-old U.S. citizen who may have walked off a visiting cruise ship in the Maritimes. Sarah Tessier Powell was last seen Sept. 30 on the ship, as it sailed from Quebec City to Charlottetown. The ship's next stops were scheduled in Charlottetown on Oct. 2, Sydney on Oct. 3 and Halifax on Oct. 4. Police said they do not suspect foul play in Powell's disappearance and think she may have walked off the ship without being checked by security. It's not clear where Powell may have disembarked (or whether she disembarked). The Louisiana woman was travelling alone, which is part of the reason it took so long for her disappearance to be noticed, said police. | Pax missing |
| October 2 | Cinderella Viking Line |
The Local (Sweden) reports a 28-year-old man thought to have forced a younger man to jump off the deck of a Viking Line ferry – a fall of some 27 metres – is under arrest in Stockholm on suspicions of attempted murder The drama unfolded on the deck of the Viking Line ferry Cinderella around 4pm on Sunday as the boat was moored at the Stadsgårds pier in Stockholm. The man who jumped overboard managed to survive the fall and get back onboard the boat "He was able to find a ladder on the stern of the boat," Bengt Hellström of the Södermalm police told the Aftonbladet newspaper. "He was really lucky to survive. If he'd twisted in the slightest, we would have been killed by the impact with the hard water." The 28-year-old man was arrested by guards onboard the ferry and then turned over to police. The victim was taken to hospital, but escaped the harrowing fall without sustaining any serious injuries. It remains unclear exactly what prompted the man to jump over the ferry's railing and into the chilly waters of Stockholm harbour.
"They were travelling together, but they reportedly had made each other's acquaintance rather recently," Hellström told the paper. Police have classified the incident as attempted murder.
"If a person forces a someone to jump 27 metres down into the water, that person should realize that normally, you don't survive," said Hellström |
Forced to jump overboard |
| October 1 | Silja Galaxy | Finnish press reports a man fell into the sea from the passenger ferry Silja Galaxy about 20 miles southeast of Mariehamn, on the night of Sunday. Coast Guard was forced to abort the search as fruitless on Sunday morning. Silja Europa and several merchant vessels participated in the search. Neither the Finnish or Swedish rescue helicopters were involved in reconnaissance due to heavy Rain. Rough seas were heavy at night. Silja Galaxy operates between Turku and Stockholm. | Pax overboard |
| September 29 | Aurora P&O Cruises |
BBC reports rescuers searching for a 72 year old British woman who fell overboard from a cruise ship in the Mediterranean have found a body. The woman was reported missing on the Aurora ship as it sailed from the Portuguese city of Oporto to Barcelona on Friday, P&O Cruises said. The ship's crew were alerted and ordered an immediate search for the woman, who has not yet been named. The Aurora left Southampton for a 14-night western Mediterranean cruise on 26 September. | Pax overboard |
| September 20 | Serenade of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
Cruise Law News reports the disappearance of a crew member from the ship yesterday. Several newspapers in Italy are reporting that a crewmember went overboard. The ship was crossing the Adriatic for Venice. There are conflicting reports of the time of the overboard as occurring between 4:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. when the ship's passengers reported that a person had fallen into the sea. An Italian newspaper reports that the unidentified crew member went overboard in off the Italian coastal city of Ancona. The waters are described either as international waters or waters under the jurisdiction of Croatia. The sea was reportedly rough with winds gusting close to 100 kilometers per hour. Coast Guard vessels from Croatia and Italy have searched for the crew member without success. | Crew overboard |
| September 17 | Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
Cruise Law News and the Sun-Sentinel report a woman apparently went over the rail and into the water from the ship. At the time of the overboard last night, the Allure was sailing to Nassau after leaving Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), but the stop at Nassau was canceled and the ship will said directly to St. Maarten. Royal Caribbean issued a press release that a 21 year old U.S. passenger went overboard at 9:25 PM Eastern Standard Time last night. The incident was apparently captured on the cruise ship's CCTV cameras. The Sun Sentinel reports that the incident was reported to the cruise line around 9:30 PM, but the cruise line delayed reporting the incident to the Coast Guard for 2 hours until 11:30 PM. According to the Sun Sentinel, the cruise line apparently searched the ship for two hours to look for the young woman. Only after the shipboard search was unsuccessful did the ship contact the Coast Guard. The young woman is from Bartlett, Tennessee. UPDATE:WMC-TV News reports on October 2 that the ship departed port at 5 p.m. Within hours, the woman's mother said another passenger called ship security after she said she felt A'Riel go overboard. "This is a very specific 911 call that a passenger from the cabin below was actually struck on the arm by the person who fell from the cabin above," said the Marion family's attorney, Brett Rivkan. At 9:30 p.m., the ship's staff brought the mother to a secure room. Two hours later, the U.S. Coast Guard was called. At that time, the ship was 47 miles off of the coast of Fort Lauderdale. At 1:30 a.m., the search for A'riel began. | Pax overboard |
| August 31 | Costa Favolosa Costa Cruises |
From a crew member: A South African dancer jumped overboard in the Aegean Sea. The ship after six hours of search continued the course toword Venice, without the port call at Dubrovnik. | Crew member overboard |
| August 28 | Carnival Fascination Carnival Cruise Lines |
USA Today reports the U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 31-year-old man who authorities say jumped from the ship. Officials say a security guard saw the man leap into the water from a 10th floor deck early Tuesday. Officials say he fell about 87-feet into the water. Crewmembers aboard the cruise ship reported the incident to the Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville command center at 2:09 a.m. Tuesday. The Coast Guard says has three ships, a motor life boat and a helicopter are currently searching the waters off Ponce De Leon for the man. UPDATE: Cruise Critic reports the man, US Army Sergeant Ronald Kemp, was intoxicated and had entered a crew-only area of the ship. There he was confronted by a female crewmember, who told him to leave. A physical confrontation ensued, during which time a security officer pepper sprayed Kemp, who then fled. Security gave chase, and Kemp ran up to the Verandah deck, one deck above the Lido deck. In order to evade security, he jumped over the railing, falling one level and landing on the Lido, and then continued to flee before grabbing a life ring and leaping overboard. The cruise line would not respond to Cruise Critic's inquiries. | Pax overboard |
| August 7 | Queen of the West American Cruise Lines |
KXL-FM News reports a crew member fell off the stern while it was moored in Rainier, Oregon overnight. Witnesses saw him in the Columbia River for a short time before he disappeared just after 1:00. A search by a Coast Guard helicopter and boat found only the man's shirt. He's said to be in his mid-30's. The search has since been suspended. Authorities say there is little to no chance that he would've survived. The cruise ship has since left the port and headed upriver toward Portland. | Crew overboard - presumed dead |
| July 25 | Aurelia | Corriere della Sera reports a 29 year old woman went missing Sunday morning, July 15, from the ferry between Civitavecchia and Sardinia. An alarm was raising at 9:30AM, but a search yielded no results. The woman's body washed ashore at Sardinia on Tuesday. | Pax missing (overboard) |
| June 3 | Costa Magica Costa Cruises |
Globo (Brazil) reports a 21 year old Brazilian woman working as an Assistant Waiter has disappeared from the ship -- she was last see on June 1 at 18:00h; authorities were notified of her disappearance yesterday at 15:00h. According to Italian news site "IlMattino", the ship had sailed from Malta towards Catania, and was about 30 km from the Sicilian coast when she disappeared. In a phone interview, the woman's brother confirmed the disappearance. "The Infinity Brazil, the company responsible for the recruitment of my sister called us yesterday. They said on Friday she usually worked in the morning, but appeared to shift from 18h. They searched the entire ship, but she not founf. The case was passed to the police and the coastguard. But so far nothing went for us. The only thing we know is that she's missing," he says. UPDATE: Globo reports (June 5) the company says video cameras show the woman jumping overboard at 2:00 AM on Saturday morning. | Crew member overboard |
| April 17 | Carnival Spirit Carnival Cruise Lines |
MSNBC reports a passenger jumped overboard yesterday into the Pacific Ocean and was quickly rescued by the ship's crew. In a statement provided to Cruise Critic, Carnival said witnesses saw a 28-year-old man jumping off the ship as it steamed for Hawaii on the fourth day of a 15-night cruise. Search-and-rescue operations were initiated and the passenger was located and brought back on board, where he received treatment at Spirit's medical center. | Rescued alive |
| April 1 | Condor Rapide Condor Ferries |
The BBC reports the search for a woman missing from a ferry in the English Channel will not resume. The ship was en route from the Channel Island of Guernsey to Poole in Dorset when the alarm was raised at about 17:30 BST on Sunday. A major air and sea search of the routes was suspended after five hours. Coastguard rescue helicopters from Portland and La Hague, lifeboats from Weymouth and Alderney, Channel Islands Air Search and the French Coastguard were all involved in the search. An MCA spokesman said the temperature of the water had been the deciding factor in the decision to call off the search on Sunday night. | Passenger missing |
| February 29 | Bahamas Celebration Celebration Cruise Lines |
WPTV reports a woman aboard the Bahamas Celebration ship was reported missing early Wednesday morning after the ship returned from a two-night trip, Celebration Cruise Lines spokesman Glen Ryerson said. The woman was reported missing at 8 a.m. after the ship docked at 7 a.m., according to Ryerson. Ryerson said there are confirmed documents that show the woman boarded in the Bahamas. Her boyfriend shared a cabin with her on board. According to Celebration President Charlie Kinnear, the boyfriend claims he last saw his girlfriend at 1 a.m. in the gift shop before he headed to the inboard casino. The ship was just off the coast of Grand Bahama Island at the time. When he woke up she still hadn't returned. Investigators are not releasing her identity but she's a Canadian resident in her 40s. Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/riviera_beach/passenger-vanishes-from-celebration-cruise-lines-bahamas-celebration-ship#ixzz1nouAqFFX | Passenger missing |
| February 27 | Carnival Magic Carnival Cruise Lines |
MSNBC reports from Galveston that a crew member fell off the ship Saturday night. The ship was off the coast of Galveston when the accident happened at about 10:35 p.m. The U.S. Coast Guard were called to rescue the man from the water. But before USCG could arrive the cruise ship's crew had already launched a rescue boat and pulled the man from the water. He was in the water for less than 45 minutes. The cruise line says the man was working on the deck when he slipped over the railing. The Coast Guard said the man is OK. | Passenger Overboard - rescued (work accident) |
| February 3 | Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
Associated Press reports a search is under way in waters near Mexico for a British cruise ship passenger who apparently went overboard. The Royal Caribbean International cruise line said Friday that another passenger saw the 30-year-old man go over the railing from his stateroom on the Allure of the Seas. That was backed up by footage from an onboard video camera. The man’s name was not immediately released. The man went overboard as the ship was sailing to Cozumel, Mexico. The Mexican Navy and Coast Guard are assisting in the search. The Allure of the Seas departed Sunday on a seven-night cruise from Fort Lauderdale. The ship was under charter by Atlantis Events, which specializes in all-gay cruises. | Passenger overboard |
| January 16 | Pacific Jewel P&O Australia |
The Herald Sun reports an Australian cruise liner has turned back during a Pacific Islands cruise after a passenger went missing. A spokesman for P&O Cruises confirmed the Pacific Jewel had turned back after leaving Lifou, New Caledonia after an elderly woman was reported missing last night. “I can confirm the Pacific Jewel is currently searching for a female passenger reported missing last night,” the spokesman said. “A complete search of the ship was conducted but she was not found. “A review of all CCTV footage was conducted including footage of a balcony area and it became apparent a passenger had gone overboard,” he said. The spokesman said the ship was on day eight of a Pacific Islands cruise and was currently searching for the woman in the water between Lifou and Noumea. He confirmed the woman’s family was on board the ship. | Passenger missing |
| January 11 | Monarch of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
Cruise News Daily reports a crew member witnessed a 25-year-old male crew member jumping overboard this morning at 5:45am when the ship was sailing in the Bahamas toward its scheduled call at Nassau. Video surveillance recordings later confirmed the man going overboard. The incident was immediately reported, and the ship turned and began a search. All appropriate authorities were notified, including the Bahamian government. Three other cruise ships in the area joined the search. They were Carnival Sensation, Disney Dream and Norwegian Jewel. A US Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter was also dispatched from a US Navy base in the Bahamas to assist at the request of Bahamian authorities. At 9am, the Bahamian Coast Guard released the cruise ships from the search and they continued on their way. The Bahamian Coast Guard and US Coast Guard are continuing their search. | Person overboard |
2011 (23 incidents; 23 persons) |
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| December 27 | Celebrity Summit Celebrity Cruises |
The Associated Press reports The U.S. Coast Guard says it has suspended a search for a 30-year-old female bartender who worked aboard a cruise ship and jumped overboard near Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard said in a statement late Monday that the Filipino woman was an employee with the Celebrity Summit cruise ship. Officials said she jumped late Sunday as the ship passed just northeast of the popular tourist island of Culebra. They did not identify the woman or say whether they had uncovered a possible motive for her action. The ship operated by Celebrity Cruises had just left Puerto Rico and was headed toward Barbados. | Crew overboard |
| December 16 | Star Princess Princess Cruises |
From a passenger: Having left Gibraltar to begin our Atlantic crossing we were told that a young (23? Year old) dishwasher from India had taken his own life be jumping off the stern of the ship. His action was not discovered for about 5 or 6 hours but was confirmed by cameras on deck. We turned back and spent the next 12+ hours returning and searching before the captain was told to continue on the journey to Brazil. | Crew overboard |
| December 3 | Carnival Inspiration Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a passenger: Everyone on the ship which returned this morning was talking about a man who jumped leaving a note behind. His name was called over the loud speaker numerous times. The first I heard of it and as I continued to hear it the story stayed the same without embellishment. His wife died recently but he took the cruise anyway and then did this. | Person overboard |
| November 4 | Norwegian Sun Norwegian Cruise Line |
The Jamaica Observer reports the Trelawny police were up to press time last night unable to give the identity of a cruise passenger who died after allegedly jumping from the top deck of the cruise ship Norwegian Sun shortly after it pulled out of the Falmouth shipping pier late Wednesday. Head of the Falmouth Police Division Superintendent Andrew Lewis said he was informed that the cruise passenger was taken from the water by crew members of the vessel, which had turned around after an alarm was raised that the passenger had jumped. The police reported that the incident occurred 25 minutes after the vessel left the Falmouth cruise shipping pier about 6:00 pm, but Superintendent Lewis was unable to establish the circumstances which "led to the man falling in the water". Last night Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett expressed regret over the incident but said he was satisfied that the circumstances has nothing to do the destination. | Person overboard |
| October 28 | Ventura P&O Cruises |
USA Today reports several UK news outlets today are reporting on a dramatic rescue of a man who plunged off a cruise ship in the Atlantic. The London Evening Standard says passengers on the ship were roused out of sleep before sunrise this morning by emergency horns and the launch of lifeboats as crew members searched for the unnamed person, who was pulled out of the ocean alive. The news outlet says the man was spotted by passengers. "It has all been very dramatic," one passenger on the ship told the Evening Standard. "It was pitch black. This guy is so, so lucky." There's no word on how the man went overboard or whether he was a passenger or a member of the ship's crew. The ship is on a 15-night voyage to the Caribbean out of Southampton, England. A reader provided the following: As far as we know he went from deck 16 which of course is above the balconies the highest (Lido at the front) are on deck 15. We could not envisage how he did that trick. One possibility, and it is only a guess, is that he climbed onto a cleaning platform. Another odd feature is that the person who called the MOB and subsequently kept the bridge informed did not give his name. Captain Burgess asked him to come forward but we don't know if he did. One rumour was certainly mental illness and that the 21 yr old was travelling with his parents. This is supported by his name being know early on and us not having to muster for a count.
The broadcast was at 0530 local. I observed a flame float and a flaccon beacon being dropped at 0534 from the port side of the bridge. I suspect a similar, and posisbilty earlier, drop was made from the starboard side. At 0545 both fast rescue boats had been launched. I suspect the starboard launch went first as the crew were ony wearing life jackets. The Port crew were in full immersion suits. Only after both launches had gone did the Ventura begin her turn back. Given a speed of 20 kts and a turnback from 258 deg to 085 deg which was accomplished by 0600 we had travelled perhaps 5 miles. We continued the turn on to 117 degrees (a 30 degree intercept) to regain our reciprical track. We turned back to 085 at 0616. At 0620 the Captain said they knew who he was. Two minutes later he was sighted by the port side rescue launch and recovered by the starboard (downwind) launch at about 0633. He was back on board at 0640. The launches then began to recover buoys and markers etc but the Port launch suffered an engine failure and in a fine piece of seamanship the Ventura was manoeuvred to put her ports side to leeward and the starboard launch pushed the port one on to its falls. The ship then manoeuvred again to recover the starboard launch. At 0715 we resumed passage to Tortola. The MOB was about 26 degrees 09.87N 39 degrees 015.59W. Sea state was moderate with a 3-4 metre swell and dawn was at 0749. |
Person overboard / rescued |
| October 4 | Maasdam Holland America Line |
CBC reports a 75-year-old man whose body was pulled from the Northumberland Strait near western P.E.I. He was reported missing by his wife shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday after the ship docked in Charlottetown. Crew on the ship, which left from Montreal on Saturday on a seven-day cruise, conducted a shipwide search but failed to locate the man. The Canadian Coast Guard and local law enforcement were contacted but a search of the ship's route did not locate the man. A lobster fisherman found a body, which was brought to a wharf in Abram-Village around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. The cruise line Holland America issued a press release confirming the body was their passenger. | Pax overboard |
| September 25 | Carnival Conquest Carnival Cruise Lines |
KHOU-TV reports authorities were searching for a man who jumped off a Carnival cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico, officials said. The 39-year-old man, identified as Clint Wayne Markham from Forney, was seen jumping off the Carnival Conquest on Friday around 6:30 p.m., shortly after the ship left Cozumel, according to a statement from Carnival. Officials said the company alerted authorities and returned to the ship to where the man was last seen to begin searching for him. The cruise ship was later released from the search while Mexican authorities continued to look for him. “We’re sorry to say that at this time, the missing guest has not been located. However, the Mexican navy remains on site and continues with the search,” wrote the ship’s captain, Antonio Sammartano, in a letter given to passengers. An unconfirmed source says the guy was drunk and got into an argument with his female companion. Allegedly he said, “If I jump do you think they’ll look for me?” | Pax overboard |
| September 14 | Balmoral Fred Olsen Cruises |
The Mirror reports passengers disembarking from cruise ship Balmoral in Southampton yesterday were questioned by police over the disappearance of an elderly man who is believed to have committed suicide by going overboard in the North Sea. Some were delayed by up to three hours at the end of their eight-day cruise to the Norwegian fjords. The man, who is believed to have been travelling alone, was last seen at dinner on Sunday, shortly after the 44,000-ton ship left Stavanger. He was reported missing the following morning when a stewardess found a note in his cabin. The ship was by then in the North Sea, to the east of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. The man has not yet been named by police, but he was described by fellow passengers as a "pleasant elderly British gentleman." Passengers were shown pictures of him and were asked to inform the police if they thought they knew what had happened to him. A spokesperson for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines said the company was cooperating fully with Coastguard and police. | Pax missing |
| September 6 | Princess Seaways DFDS Ferries |
BBC reports a woman has been rescued after falling overboard from a Newcastle passenger ferry bound for the Netherlands. She fell overboard at about 20:35 BST on Monday. The ferry then reversed course and rescued her off the coast of Flamborough Head, at about 21:00 BST. The woman, 23, from Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, was taken to Scarborough Hospital, where she was kept in overnight and then released. 'Reversing course' Mike Green, watch manager at Humber Coastguard said the water temperature would have been between 11C and 12C. He said he did not know how she fell off the vessel. Mr Green added: "We received a call about 20:45 last night from the Princess Seaways DFDS ferry out of Newcastle. They said they'd had a person overboard and they were reversing their course. "We alerted the RAF Sea King helicopter and put the Scarborough and Filey lifeboats on stand-by in case we had an extended search. "The crew of the DFDS ferry were very efficient with their man-overboard procedures, they managed to get a visual contact with the lady, launched their rescue craft and managed to get her on board the ferry." | Pax overboard - rescued alive |
| July 23 | Oosterdam Holland America Line |
The Alaska Daily News reports a 20 year old California man may have gone overboard somewhere between Sitka and Ketchikan. The man is believed to have disappeared into the water between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. Friday while the vessel was sailing to Ketchikan. HAL subsequently issue the following statement: During the July 17 seven-day Alaska sailing of ms Oosterdam, a 20-year old male guest was reported missing by his family at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time on July 22. He was last seen by his family between midnight and 1:00 a.m. that same day and the ship’s gangway records do not indicate that he went ashore in Ketchikan during the July 22 call. Per marine regulation and protocol, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and law enforcement authorities were contacted with all known information and the ship’s course. Following established procedures, the ship’s crew has also conducted a thorough search of the ship without locating the guest. The USCG has launched a search along the route the ship transited. We have offered full support and cooperation for the search conducted by the USCG. The current cruise will end in Seattle on Sunday, July 24. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. |
Pax missing |
| June 20 | Norwegian Spirit Norwegian Cruise Line |
USA Today reports a passenger sailing out of New Orleans late Sunday was rescued after plunging from the vessel into the water. In a brief statement sent to USA TODAY, Norwegian Cruise Line says the incident occurred at approximately 8 p.m. local time as the 2,018-passenger Norwegian Spirit was traveling down the Mississippi River toward the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel had just begun a seven-night voyage to the Western Caribbean three hours earlier. "The ship immediately deployed its rescue boat; the guest was recovered and returned safely back to the ship," the line says. Norwegian Cruise Line didn't say how the unidentified male passenger went overboard but indicated that he was injured in the plunge. "The medical team onboard attended to his injuries and arrangements were made to disembark the guest for further treatment," the statement says. | Overboard - rescued alive |
| May 27 | Ruby Princess Princess Cruises |
From a reader: On Friday, May 27, 2011, early in the morning at about 2:15 a.m., the Ruby Princess was sailing from Athens to Venice. At about that time, the Captain came across the speaker stating that there was a man overboard and that the ship would be turning around to try to save him. After about an hour and 45 minutes, the Captain announced that they located the man and had saved him. The sea water was about 68 degrees and we heard the man was a crew member (cook) who had jumped. | Crew member overboard (rescued) |
| May 22 | Eclipse Celebrity Cruises |
The Daily Mail reports a 31 year old Filipini crew member was seen on CCTV climbing over a railing and jumping from the ship at around 10.15pm on Friday. The ship was eight miles north of the French port of Cherbourg when the incident happened. The vessel was immediately turned around and headed back towards the spot from where the man had jumped. Colleagues alerted the French coastguard but no trace of him was found during an overnight search. Emergency workers called off the search-and-rescue mission yesterday. The ship was returning from a 14-night Italian Mediterranean cruise that left Southampton on May 7. | Crew member overboard |
| May 4 | Millennium Celebrity Cruises |
The Associated Press reports a 63 year old woman went missing from the cruise ship between Cabo and San Diego. Her absence was realized when the ship prepared to disembark in San Diego and she could not be found. The company subsequently said according to surveillance video the woman was seen jumping overboard. A search by the US Coast Guard was not fruitful. | Passenger overboard |
| May 4 | Costa Concordia Costa Cruises |
French media report a 30 year old Russian male passenger went missing from the ship in the Mediterranean near Toulon. The ship was transitting between Barcelona and Savona when the man disappeared Monday (May 2) night. A search was undertaken but with no results. | Passeger overboard |
| April 21 | Unknown Thomson Cruises |
The Press Association of the UK reports a 63-year-old man has gone missing while on a cruise ship holiday in Egypt. A Thames Valley Police spokesman said officers are becoming increasingly concerned for the welfare of John Halford, of Greenleys, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Mr Halford left Luton Airport on March 31 to join the Thomson cruise but when it finished in Sharm El Sheikh on April 7, he was not on board. It is thought he went missing some time between 11.45pm on April 6 and 7.30am on April 7. | Pax missing |
| March 24 | Disney Wonder Disney Cruise Line |
From a crew member: Two days ago one of the youth activities counselors apparently went over board. It was at 3 am. They are still searching the ship without any news about her. The disappearance was subsequently reported by News in Orlando. They report the crew member is believed to have gone missing Tuesday from the cruise ship, which is in the middle of a 7-day cruise. On Tuesday the ship was at sea. UPDATE: BBC News reports the 24 year old woman's parents theard from her the day befoe she went missing. They say "She sent me a message on the Monday and she was going to ring me on the Tuesday, and that's when she disappeared." |
Crew member overboard |
| March 22 | Constellation Celebrity Cruises |
Cruise Law News reports Indian crew member Anthony Rodriguez went overboard on March 10, 2011. Mr. Fernandes was a 19 year employee of the cruise line. His family members in Mumbai were not notified for two days and were not given an explanation for him going overboard. | Crew member overboard |
| March 15 | Carnival Miracle Carnival Cruise Lines |
Media in Curacao report a 47 year old Filipino crew member went missing between Aruba and Curacao. | Crew member missing |
| February 20 | Grandeur of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
There have been several reports of a person overboard. Two media sources (here and here) have accounts of an Indonsian crew member overboard, although a reader indicates a Code Oscar was called because a passenger went overboard. In any case, the common theme is that a person disappeared from the ship while it was off the coast of Aruba on February 18, and details have not been given by the cruise line. | Crew member overboard |
| February 7 | Ship unknown Tallink-Sija Line |
The Baltic Times reports a Latvian man who fell overboard while travelling on a Tallink cruise liner from Stockholm to Riga has still not been found, rescue workers say. The man fell overboard at appoximately 2:45 in the morning. A search involving numerous boats and helicopters ensued, but rescuers were unable to locate the man by the time the search was called off at about 8 am. Medics say it is unlikely that the man would be able to survive for more than a few minutes in the frigid waters. | Pax overboard |
| January 5 | Liberty of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
News 7 in Belize reports a 21 year old man either jumped or fell to his death from the 12th. level of the ship. His family noticed that he was missing around 9:00 this morning and when he couldn't be found on the ship the crew reviewed video from the security cameras. That showed him jumping - or falling - from the twelfth deck of the ship at 3:25 am. The deck is over a hundred feet above the sea. It is estimated to have happened 6 miles west off Maaga Caye Lighthouse at Turneffe Island - which is out in the blue where the depth of the sea is in the hundreds of feet. That's still in Belizean waters and today the Belize Coast Guard and Belize Port Authority carried out searches but up to late this evening they hadn't found anything. | Pax overboard |
| January 4 | Costa Atlantica Costa Cruises |
The Sun Sentinel reports a cruise ship worker who drowned at Port Everglades earlier this week committed suicide, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office. Ramakrishan Balasubramanian, 25, of India, was found unresponsive in the water along the left side of the docked Costa Atlantica at about 8 p.m. Sunday. He was an assistant waiter on the ship. A uniform keeper on the ship told police he was on the third deck when he heard a splashing noise. He said he looked over the rail, saw Balasubramanian in the water, and threw a floatable life ring. Balasubramanian seemed unable to put on the floatation device, the uniform keeper said, according to the report. Coast Guard rescuers arrived soon after and found Balasubramanian face down in the water. He was rushed to Broward General Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Balasubramanian was the subject of an internal investigation following an allegation he had sexually harassed someone. | Crew overboard |
| 2010 (19 incidents; 19 persons) | |||
| December 23 | Sea Princess Princess Cruises |
Metro News (UK) reports a 50-year-old woman went overboard from the balcony of her cabin while the ship was sailing between Curaçao and Grand Turk islands. The ship turned around to comb the area and a search plane was launched but both drew a blank. The woman was reported missing by her husband on the fifth day of their two-week Christmas trip. Princess Cruises published a statement which said: 'The ship was alerted by her husband, who had discovered her missing from their cabin, and our missing persons routine was immediately begun to account for all passengers onboard. 'A review of CCTV footage confirms that the passenger went over the side of the ship from a balcony cabin.' The ship is currently on a two week cruise from Barbados. The ship was on the fifth day of the sailing, which is scheduled to conclude on December 27. | Pax overboard |
| December 22 | Orchestra MSC Cruises |
Brazilian media report a 19 year old male passenger fell from 14th floor around 4AM today while the ship was anchored at Ilhabela, in the coast of the state of Sao Paulo. Apparently the man was talking with friends near the disco, when he seated on the rail and fell backwards. Friends threw floaters, but he did not answer. After the rescue he was brought to hospital to be declared dead. The man was the only son of a couple too shocked to give statements (they were not on the ship). He was himself a rescuer and studied biomedicine at an university in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Parana, Brazil. | Fall overboard |
| October 13 | Carnival Splendor Carnival Cruise Lines |
John Heald's Blog reports a crew member was seen jumping overboard at 1AM. A search was undertaken, but he was not found. | Crew member overboard |
| October 12 | Balmoral Fred Olsen Cruises |
BBC reports a 79-year-old British man was reported missing about 45 miles (72km) south of The Lizard in Cornwall. An air and sea search involving British and French coastguards and warships was called off on Monday evening. Officers from Kent Police boarded the ship when she berthed at Dover. The man was, who has not been named, was on a three-week cruise in the Adriatic. | Passenger missing |
| October 5 | Mirage I Yesh Shipping |
Cyprus Mail reports the search for an Israeli cruise ship passenger who fell overboard off the coast of Cyprus has been halted after eighteen hours without a trace of the 26-year-old man. The Israeli, who reportedly suffered from depression, was travelling from Haifa to Limassol. Yesh spokesman Ronan Kaplan said that at 1am on Monday, when the ship was around 180 miles south of Cyprus the crew received a message from the Israeli police that one of the passengers was planning to commit suicide after his father found a suicide note. “From that moment the man was announced as a missing person, the ship’s crew halted all leisure activities, searched the ship and paged the passenger” Kaplan told the Jerusalem post. The ship then retraced its course to search for the man and by 3am a full scale search and rescue operation. | Passenger overboard (suicide) |
| September 26 | Macau Success Success Cruises |
Agence France Presse reports a 47-year-old man from mainland China will appear in a Hong Kong court Monday on a charge of murder over the death of a woman who last week fell from a cruise ship. The man was arrested Friday after the 43-year-old woman fell into the sea off Waglan Island, near the eastern edge of Hong Kong's territory, a special autonomous region in southern China. A Hong Kong newspaper reported Saturday that the woman was pulled unconscious from the water 50 minutes after she was pushed overboard from the casino ship. The woman was pronounced dead by rescuers and marine police arrested her 47-year-old husband on board the Macau Success for questioning, the South China Morning Post reported. The ship is one of several passenger ships that ferry gamblers from Hong Kong into international waters, beyond the jurisdiction of city's strict controls on gambling. | Passenger pushed overboard |
| September 21 | SuperStar Aquarius Star Cruises |
AOL Travel reports A 51-year-old Chinese man jumped to his death after apparently losing more than $386,000 in the casino. The 1,500-passenger ship was on its way back to Hong Kong after a two-day party cruise when the incident occurred, according to local news reports. Xu was seen betting at a gaming table after dinner, and remained at the table until 8 a.m., according to other passengers. After the big losses, he reportedly wandered around the top deck of the 13-deck ship for about an hour before taking his fatal leap. A spokesman for Star Cruises says the captain was alerted someone had fallen into the sea, stopped the ship and called in rescue teams. The man's body was retrieved. Police ruled out foul play. | Passenger overboard - body recovered |
| September 18 | Celebrity Solstice Celebrity Cruises |
From a reader: The story on the cruise that I was on goes like this: On early Friday morning around 130 am a person fell overboard from the 5th floor. It took them about an hour to locate and rescue the person who was alive(amazing). He was fighting and very belligerent when he was rescued. They put the person in handcuffs and he was taking off the ship in the next port of sail which was Roatan Honduras. The gentleman of approximately 65 years of age had an arguement with his wife at an 80's party being held in the Sky Lounge near the bow. At about 1:30am on deck 5 starboard he removed most of his clothing and dove off the deck. Fast acting crew members threw a flashing buoy overboard immediately to mark his location and the man-overboard call was made. The Captain was summoned and many of us heard the code "Oscar, Oscar" Apparently 2-zodiacs were launched the second after some issues with the first....of this I am not certain. Upon reaching the very lucking gentleman he did not wish to be rescued and when pulled on board the zodiac became beligerant and hence was cuffed. We were told he was removed from the ship in Roatan. Yesterday in the afternoon, on our last day at sea, the Captain came on the loudspeaker and thanked his hard working crew for their efforts for the rescue. My husband recorded a You Tube video of him being rescued. There are photos here. | Passenger rescued alive |
| July 25 | Carnival Liberty Carnival Cruise Lines |
A poster at Cruise Critic reports while pulling into Half Moon Cay a man went overboard. Speculation there was a couple fighting badly in the casino last night and he jumped. Felt like forever to get him but we think we saw movement after they got him on the lifeboat. A subsequent post gives more details: So here is what I know. I was walking down the hall to my room when I heard "bravo bravo starboard side". Within seconds I got to my door and could here the other people in our party out on the deck with raised voices. I ran outside to find that they saw the man actually fall below. They had heard people start to scream and they looked over the balcony to see him falling from what they could tell right around the lifeboats. He stayed submerged for what felt like was 30 seconds or so. Someone did manage to throw out a ring and it appeared he had it but we later realized he didn't. I think he tried swimming and fighting the ocean for awhile...and he completely went out of sight...he then reappeared floating on his back. The crew did an excellent job...but it was very scary. When the lifeboat finally reached him they struggled to get him on the lifeboat but they got him in. When the lifeboat came around and we could see inside they were not performing CPR so we assumed he was awake. We have heard around the ship that he is alive. Somebody on the ship said it was a band member who got into an argument in the casino....not sure about all the details. The whole ordeal probably took about five to ten minutes. Whatever the reason ..I hope he is okay. | Crew member overboard - Rescued alive |
| May 25 | Oasis of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
Fox News reports the U.S. Coast Guard was searching today for a crewmember who went overboard. Dillon Roache, 45, of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was reported missing Monday and was later confirmed to have gone overboard as the ship made its way from Nassau, Bahamas, to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The ship retraced the ship’s route to search for Roache but were unable to find him. The ship handed over the search efforts Tuesday morning and continued with a modified itinerary. | Crew member overboard |
| May 5 | Explorer of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
From a reader: A family member on the ship told me last evening (5/5)that the ship's captain informed all passengers through an announcement that a crew member had climbed over a railing and jumped at 8:15 PM (local time). They circled for approximately 2 hours with all available ship personnel assisting in search. No passengers were allowed outside during this time. At approximately 12:23 AM this morning (eastern standard time) the ship headed back to its last port of call (San Juan) in an effort to locate missing crew person. The missing crew member is 27 years old. The ship will apparently return to Bayonne, NJ more than six hours late on Saturday. Passengers on the next sailing are advised to not arrive at the cruise terminal earlier than 7:30PM. |
Crew member overboard |
| May 3 | Pride of America Norwegian Cruise Line America |
The Honolulu Advertiser reports a crewman fell overboard yesterday morning about 13 hours after the cruise ship left Honolulu Harbor and was quickly picked up by crew members in a rescue boat. | Crew overboard (rescued alive) |
| April 29 | Sovereign Pullmantur Cruises |
From a reader: A Russian man, 54 years old, went overboard from the ship Sovereign after it left from Civitavecchia harbour. A search was immediatly undertaken with 11 patrol boats and airplanes. The man was found dead from a patrol boat out of Livorno sea. From Italian paper "Il Tirreno". | Person overboard |
| April 21 | Carnival Legend Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a reader: On Wednesday the 21st when we were just about to leave Cozumel, a man jumped overboard. He was rescued and then taken into custody by the Mexican police. This was observed by many and I have a picture of the police boat. Later in the week we were told by a crew member that the man's new bride (the couple were on their honeymoon) was found in their stateroom beaten and unconcious. We were all very startled by the events. | Pax overboard (rescued) |
| April 3 | Summit Celebrity Cruises |
According to Wikipedia and several other sources a passenger named Bob Gvicious fell off the ship. He swam for 19 hours to Cayo Lobos, 3 miles off the coast of Fajardo, Puerto Rico. | Pax overboard (swam ashore) |
| March 22 | Radiance of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
According to the cruise community site Cruise Line Fans, a "man overboard" was reported at 8:00 p.m. last night from the ship. Here is the account:"At about 8pm last night the call was heard OSCAR! OSCAR! OSCAR! PORT SIDE! The ship shook as it slowed done and turned around. Flashing buoy rings could be seen in the distance. The rescue boats was quickly launched. Within 20 minutes CPR was being conducted on a man being brought back onboard." According to the website, the man was pronounced dead an hour later; he was a crew member who the website says "apparently purposely went overboard," however this is conjecture and may not be the case. | Person (crew) overboard |
| March 2 | Costa Serena Costa Cruises |
A reader reports there was a person overboard on the ship on Saturday while in the Atlantic between the Canary Islands and Malaga. The news was confirmed by the Company; the man overboard is a 34 year old French man. | Person overboard |
| February 26 | Rotterdam Holland America Line |
A reader provided the following report: Around 10 A.M. this morning, morning while breakfast was going on, one guest, supposedly of cabin 1905, jumped from the outside deck. The jump was apparently witnessed as there was an immediate man overboard call and the ship manouvered quickly and then anchored and a search happened. The ship staff searched for hours, and then about 5 pm, they recovered the man's body. The ship has been under code red for 6 days for norovirus and the staff was already under huge stress. |
Passenger overboard |
| February 21 | Pacific Venus Japan Cruise Line |
The Honolulu Advertiser reports the U.S. Coast Guard will resume searching for a crew member who went overboard Saturday when the ship was south of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The ship, on its way back to Japan, reported the 24-year-old crew member went overboard at 2 p.m. Saturday. The cruise ship was about 300 miles southwest of Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands when it first reported the crew member missing. | Crew member missing |
| January 7 | Norwegian Jade Norwegian Cruise Line |
A reader reports a man went overboard. Discussions with crew indicated he was wearing a life jacket. He was apparently rescued and then put off the ship in Turkey. I personally heard the operation bright star called out about 30 minutes before sunset, and saw the ship come to a stop. I then saw rescue boats in the water. It was announced by the cruise director at the show that night that the man was "rescued and re-united with his family". From another reader: I will confirm that there was a passenger overboard, off the coast of Egypt. The ship changed course to locate and rescue him, and lucky for him they were quick about it, as darkness was falling. We heard unofficially that he jumped with a life jacket, and officially that he was rescued alive. From the jumper: This is seriously from the man overboard that day. I'm writing to you cuz some of what was posted isn't correct. January 9th 2010 close to sunset shortly after awaking from a nap I jumped from the 11th floor with my life vest on. Reason for jumping..... well that's between me and my family. I was told the rescue took 30min. I was then deported off the ship in Egypt to another hospital. Only injuries i had where bruised legs and a cramped neck for a week. Thankful for being alive. Although i now owe ncl 5,565,000 for jumping not even including the 1,300.00 stay at the ic on ship. | Rescued alive |
2009 (22 incidents; 25
persons) |
|||
| December 31 | Monarch of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
Florida Today reports the Coast Guard is searching for a 23-year-old woman (the wife of an employee who had been hired by RCI but had not yet begun work) who reportedly went overboard near the Bahamas about 4 a.m. today. She went overboard from the 12th deck of the ship near Nassau, Bahamas. The ship is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Saturday. According to RCCL, The guest was last seen at 3:45 a.m. At that time, the ship was sailing from Nassau to Coco Cay, Bahamas. As soon as the guest was reported missing, various public announcements were made onboard and a complete search of the ship, as well of CocoCay, was initiated. Shipboard closed-circuit camera footage captured the guest going overboard on deck 11, portside at approximately 4:11 a.m. Government officials have reviewed the footage and determined that the guest jumped overboard. UPDATE: Times of India reports the woman's family has submitted a written complaint to police alleging that she had been physically and mentally tortured for dowry by her husband and in-laws. She was reported missing at 12:15AM by her husband, a manager onboard the ship. January 3: Press Trust of India reports police today lodged an FIR against the husband, his parents and his sister for dowry harassment, beating and criminal breach of trust. | Pax overboard |
| December 11 | Majesty of the Seas Royal Caribbean International |
The Miami Herald reports the Coast Guard found a man who was missing at sea for about two hours after falling off the ship near Biscayne Bay on Friday morning -- at about 4:30 AM the ship issued a distress call stating crewmember Robert Mado, 31 (an assistant purser), had gone overboard about five miles off the Fowey Rocks. Two hours later, authorities found Mado alive, but his health condition remains unknown. The ship was on its way to Miami from Key West. | Crew member overboard - rescued alive |
| November 29 | Coral Princess Princess Cruises |
Associated Press reports Colombian maritime authorities searched Sunday for an Italian chef believed to have gone overboard from the ship while off Colombia's Caribbean coast. The 31 year old man was last seen in the galley at about 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 25 while he was working the dinner shift while the ship was sailing between Aruba and Cartagena, Colombia. His family was alerted Thursday that he had been reported missing and that a life preserver was also missing, with its nighttime illumination flares torn off and left aboard the ship. His sister said, "He surely didn't jump off. It wasn't suicide. We think there was an accident or a homicide." The ship left Miami on Nov. 23 and is currently en route from Panama to Acapulco, Mexico; it is due to dock in Los Angeles on Dec. 7, at which point the FBI is expected to join the investigation. | Crew member missing |
| November 22 | Tallink Victoria Tallink |
Uutiset (Finland) reports a search and rescue operation for a man who fell off the ship off the coast of Hanko was called off Sunday morning. The man is now presumed drowned. Authorities said they did everything they could to find him, but to no avail. The ship was en route from Tallinn to Stockholm via Mariehamn. The man went overboard before ten p.m. on Saturday night. Nearby cargo vessels and three cruise ships joined Coast Guard helicopters and boats in the search for the man. "After hours of searching, the civilian vessels returned to their routes while the Coast Guard continued until four a.m. Generally, hypothermia sets in between half an hour to an hour if the water is six or seven degrees Celsius. | Overrboard - Missing |
| November 22 | Silver Shadow Silversea Cruises |
The Miami Herald reports a Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued Ronald Shulman, 62, who went overboard the cruise ship around 3 a.m. Sunday morning. He was found swimming 20 miles southeast of Government Cut (near Miami) around 7:45 a.m. It is not known how Shulman, who was traveling alone, went overboard. Cruise operators noticed Shulman was missing and contacted the Coast Guard. A crew from Air Station Miami recovered the man, lowering a rescue swimmer from a helicopter. Shulman was back on the cruise ship Sunday morning, with a touch of hypothermia from his long night in the water, according to a Coast Guard spokeswoman. | Overbroard - Rescued alive |
| November 6 | Solstice Celebrity Cruises |
From a passenger: I'm a passenger on Celebrity Solstice between Santorini and Naples. At 9PM local time tonight, a female passenger jumped purposefully from Deck 14. She has been identified by the crew but the name not released. The coast guard are conducting a search but she has not been found as yet. UPDATE November 7: Solstice searched in the darkness with spotlights for 10 hours assisted by at least one more cruise ship as well as at least one coast guard boat and an aircraft. Flares were deployed as well, but to no avail. She was not found. We continued on toward Naples and will ariive about an hour late. | Pax overboard |
| September 23 | Sapphire Princess Princess Cruises |
Vancouver Sun reports a search is underway for a 67-year-old American woman who boarded the ship in Alaska on Sunday but never got off in Vancouver when the ship docked at Canada Place on Wednesday morning. Crew members checked the woman's cabin where they found all her belongings. Rescue crews in three helicopters immediately started searching the waters between Comox and Vancouver on Wednesday, while Vancouver police have boarded the ship at Canada Place. It's not clear where the woman may have gone overboard or how long the search will take. UPDATE: Subsequent reports indicate the woman jumped overboard at 6:08 AM Tuesday morning based on video surveillance equipment. The ship was more than 200 miles south of Ketchikan. Earlier, the cruise line had said she went overboard Monday evening around 6 p.m. near Ketchikan, in southeast Alaska, and the Coast Guard had been searching in that area for two days. | Missing Pax (suicide) |
| September 17 | Costa Atlantica Costa Crociere |
Il Messaggero reports on November 5 that a 28 year old man, a second engineer, disappeared from the ship while enroute to Barcelona. His body was found the next day at dawn. "His death is a tragedy but it is also a mystery. He had just been promoted, was happy, the family rules out suicide. But how is it possible that an experienced sailor from falling into the sea from his ship and drown? A mystery for all, a tragedy for the parents and friends. And mysteries and tragedies of the cruise ships they could tell many, too many." | Officer overboard |
| September 3 | Sensation Carnival Cruise Lines |
WPTV West Pam Beach reports a 34-year old male passenger who went overboard has been rescued overnight by a nearby Disney cruise vessel. A mayday emergency signal was issued at about 11:30 PM. last night, asking for help from any boat or ship that could help try and locate the missing passenger. The Disney Wonder located the man at about 12:40 AM. The U.S. Coast Guard says the rescue took place approximately 28 nautical milies (32.4 miles) off the Port St. Lucie shoreline. Both cruise vessels were on journeys between Port Canaveral and The Bahamas. It is unclear if the passenger was injured and required any immediate medical attention. It is also unknown how the man went off the Carnival ship. The Sun Sentinel subsequently reports the jumper could be heard arguing with a woman on the final night of the cruise. "He threatened to jump, and she said, 'Go ahead,' and he did," said a fellow passenger. "Then we heard the man screaming, 'Help! Help!'" The Coast Guard sent out a helicopter and two boats, and the Sensation launched its own search. But it's attempts made little headway. According to passengers, the crew launched a rescue boat, but its sailors forgot to untie it from the cruise ship; the rescue boat tipped, filled with water, and never joined the search. A second rescue boat never launched, despite complaints of passengers. The ship's search lights were weak and crew members aimed flashlights at the water. For over an hour he was screaming for help and passengers shouted at him to hold on. | Passenger overboard - rescued |
| August 3 | Zaandam Holland America Line |
Anchorage Daily News reports a 45-year-old woman has gone missing, presumed overboard, between Douglas Island and Glacier Bay National Park. The last known sighting of the woman was about 12:30 a.m., when she ordered room service while the ship was near Douglas Island. She was reported missing by a friend about 9 a.m., after the ship was already in the park. In a statement released Monday, Holland America said the ship's crew conducted a thorough search and was unable to find the woman, whose family has been notified of her disappearance. The ship sailed from Seattle Friday bound for Alaska on a seven-day cruise and departed Juneau bound for Glacier Bay on Sunday. The Coast Guard deployed an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Sitka and diverted the patrol boats Long Island and Liberty and launched two rescue boats from Station Juneau. The Civil Air Patrol is also assisting the search with two aircraft and the park service is combing the shoreline with multiple vessels, the Coast Guard said. They are focusing their search on Stephens Passage, Lynn Canal and Icy Strait. The water temperature in the area is about 57 degrees. UPDATE: About 4:30 p.m. a helicopter found a body washed up on the west side of Douglas Island. The tide had apparently carried the body to shore and left it high on the beach as it receded. The body was taken to Juneau to be positively identified. | Pax Overboard |
| July 18 | Costa Classica Costa Crociere |
Earth Times reports a Hong Kong mother and son disappeared while traveling between Hong Kong and Taijin, China. The pair were reported missing July 7. They apparently went missing the fourth day of the cruise while the ship was visiting ports in Japan. A source quoted in the Hong Kong Standard newspaper said three letters were found in their cabin outlining how their assets should be distributed in the event of their deaths. Investigators also found several plates of fruit indicating the pair might have conducted a ceremony. | Missing Pax |
| June 23 | Ocean Village Ocean Village Cruise Holidays> |
A poster at Cruise Critic reports a crew member fell to his death in Palma on Tuesday, round about lunchtime. We heard the call Man Overboard, Muster, but as it was called out in a low key tone we thought nothing more of it. But then some of us went up to top deck and leaned over the balcony and watched as the tender came in with what looked like a model in the back. We thought it was a practice but a passenger stated (having been told by someone) that it was indeed for real, that a workman had fallen from the ship and wasn't breathing. We saw the medics on board the tender, taking photos and feeling his limbs, then were all moved away from the railing. The Majorca Daily Bulletin says the body of the 42 year old Indian man was 42 was spotted floating in the sea at about midday. | Crewmember overboard |
| June 16 | Carnival Holiday Carnival Cruise Lines |
CNN reports a search is underway for a passenger (50 year old woman) who apparently disappeared from a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship, which sailed from Mobile, Alabama, was stopped about a third of the way to Cozumel, Mexico, and passengers were told to return to their cabins for a head count. A U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said the count was initiated because a crew member had heard a loud splash near the vessel. The ship appeared to be circling in Gulf waters Tuesday. Passengers were told in an audio message Tuesday that the ship would proceed to Cozumel when the Coast Guard released it, but the ship's arrival to the Mexican city would be delayed. The passenger is believed to have fallen about 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, and boats were launched from the cruise ship to search nearby waters. The FBI said its violent crimes unit is investigating Vilborg's disappearance. FBI Agent Tim White said agents are looking at every possible angle. UPDATE: See follow-up article quoting woman's husband here. | Person overboard |
| June 15 | Carnival Inspiration Carnival Cruise Lines |
Sun Coast News reports crewmembers from a pilot vessel rescued a 46 year old man clinging to a buoy at about 6:50 a.m., about one mile southeast of Mullet Key, in Fort Desoto, in St. Petersburg. He went overboard at 4AM when he slipped after climbing up on a railing to get a better view of the pilot boat. The ship was returning from a four-day cruise. | Person overboard - rescued |
| May 25 | Carnival Fantasy Carnival Cruise Lines |
WWL News reports the Coast Guard is searching for an 18 year old man who "fell" overboard (some sources say he jumped) from a cruise ship Sunday at around 9:45 p.m., about 150 miles southwest of Tampa. The ship left port in New Orleans and was en-route to Key West when the incident occurred. A search-and-rescue mission was launched by the Coast Guard out of Miami, but the man has not been found. | Passenger overboard |
| May 18 | P&O Express P&O Ferries |
The BBC reports a man with a psychiatric condition was seen jumping from the Larne to Troon ferry on Sunday evening. The boat, which was travelling at about 30 knots, turned around to look for him. It launched its onboard fast rescue craft and a helicopter from Prestwick and a RNLI lifeboat from Girvan joined the search. The man was winched to safety and taken to hospital after the vessel docked at Troon. | Person overboard - rescued |
| April 18 | Norwegian Sky Norwegian Cruise Line |
The Miami Herald reports the Coast Guard is searching early Saturday for a 39-year-old man who went overboard the cruise ship Norwegian Sky around 3 a.m. about 60 miles north of the Nassau, Bahamas. The ship left Miami for a three-day cruise, and was headed to its first port of call, Nassau. The name of the passenger was not released. Fellow passengers saw him go overboard. Also assisting in the search were The Royal Bahamas Defense Force, the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas cruise ship crew, the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship crew and Disney cruise line smallboat crews. The search was called off at nightfall. | Passenger overboard |
| April 14 | Super Star Virgo Star Cruises |
The Star/Asia News reports from George Town, Malaysia, that a 49-year-old man went missing while his wife was rescued after they accidentally fell from a cruise ship about 15 nautical miles south of Pulau Kendi. The woman and her husband fell about 20m into the sea at 10am yesterday. Investigatoirs are trying to determine how they fell from the ship, which was from Singapore. |
2
passengers overboard - one rescued |
| March 5 | Carnival Splendor Carnival Cruise Lines |
Cruise Critic reports a 63 year old male passenger was reported missing by his wife while the ship was off the coast of Chile as part of an 18-day South America voyage. The guest’s wife notified shipboard personnel at 9:30 a.m. this morning after she found a note that suggested a planned suicide. The missing guest was last seen at approximately 4:30 a.m. The ship’s command immediately began a vessel-wide search for the individual and returned the vessel back to the area where the guest was last seen. All appropriate authorities were notified. The Carnival Splendor departed Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile, March 3 on an 18-day South America cruise that ends in San Francisco March 21. | Passenger overboard |
| January 16 |
Paradise Carnival Cruise Lines |
An
elderly couple (aged 90 and 79) were reported missing, and cruise
officials say they likely went overboard before the ship docked in Long
Beach. Carnival says the couple's cabin door was double locked from the
inside with a "do not disturb" sign on the handle. The couple's
personal belongings remained inside the cabin and the door leading from
the cabin to the balcony was unlocked. |
Passengers overboard |
| January 13 |
Pacific Dawn P&O Australia |
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a 22 year old man has been rescued after jumping from the ship when it was 20 miles off Vila, Vanuatu at about 5am. The man, who had been in a restricted area, was seen by a staff member who raised the alarm. A life buoy and smoke flares were deployed. He was rescued within 45 minutes. A P&O spokesman said the ship "was travelling at half-speed, about 12 knots, and able to stop and then use the bow thrusters to turn around, without having to do a Williamson manoeuvre [which would have required the ship to complete a circular loop to turn around].''Some reports say the man was drunk following an all night party. | Person overboard - rescued |
| January 1 |
Sensation Carnival Cruise Lines |
The United States Coast Guard received a report that an
employee fell overboard approximately 20 miles off the coast of Vero
Beach. Friends saw the 26 year old man from California fall around 82
feet below into
the water at
about 12:50AM,
threw him a life ring and notified the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has
launched a helicopter unit to search for the man. The ship's docking in
Port Canaveral was delayed until 9:30AM while it participated in the
search. Carnival said in a statement that the man, a singer with
a band that had performed on the top deck, was not on duty at the time
and that six other
crew members saw him fall. He was reportedly trying to take a picture
when he went overboard. |
Crew overboard |
| 2008 (10 incidents; 10 persons) | |||
| December 26 |
Norwegian Pearl Norwegian Cruise Line |
Searchers
from the U.S. Coast Guard joined the hunt Friday for a cruise ship
passenger reported missing after employees of the Norwegian Pearl
failed to find her. The search was centered about 15 miles east of
Cancun, off the northeastern Mexico coast. The husband of 36-year-old
Jennifer Feitz told cruise ship personnel about 3:50 a.m. that he
couldn't find her. When a thorough search didn't locate her, the Coast
Guard got a call for help. "Initial reports indicate the guest may have
gone overboard while the ship was at sea, east of Cancun," a
spokeswoman for the Miami, Florida-based Norwegian Cruise Line said in
a statement. Given her mental health history, media are assuming the
disappearance is a suicide. |
Person overboard |
| December 2 |
Pride of Rotterdam P&O Ferries |
The BBC
reports
six lifeboats and two search and rescue helicopters are searching the
sea off Norfolk for a man believed to have fallen overboard. The alarm
was raised just before 0600 GMT by crew on the passenger ferry, which
was on its way from the Dutch city to The Humber. The search is
concentrating on a 60-mile area of sea from the east of Cromer to The
Humber. The missing man is believed to be a ferry crew member. |
Crew overboard |
| November 1 |
Magic 1 or Mirage (same ship) |
The Cyprus
Mail reports a search and rescue was launched off the west coast of
Cyprus
yesterday after authorities received reports that a 19 year old female
crew member may have
fallen overboard from a passing cruise ship. Paphos coastguard together
with police and British bases helicopters spent from noon yesterday,
when they received the report, until dusk searching the area in
international waters some 33 nautical miles off the coast. No trace of
the missing woman was found however. According to reports, the woman
from Ukraine went missing from her cabin around 3am yesterday but it
wasn’t until noon that Cypriot authorities were notified that she might
have fallen overboard. A follow up story can
be found here. |
Person overboard |
| October 4 |
Ocean Village Ocean Village Holidays |
Wales
News reports A pensioner died after falling overboard while trying
to find his relatives. Leighton George Carter was only two days into a
cruise around the Adriatic sea when he tumbled from the 14th deck of
the ship Ocean Village. Gwent Coroner’s Court in Newport, south Wales,
heard the 71-year-old was probably leaning over the guard rail on the
deck in an attempt to spot his two granddaughters and their partners on
the deck below after they became separated from him and his wife Janet.
The ship was docked at Dubrovnik in Croatia at the time of the
incident. Although there were no witnesses to the fall, the inquest
heard that the retired insulation engineer from the Malpas area of
Newport was seen hurrying along the deck, looking agitated. During the
fall, Mr Carter struck his head against one of the lifeboats slung on
the slide of the ship. Dr Majid Rashid, a pathologist at the city’s
Royal Gwent Hospital, carried out a post-mortem examination on Mr
Carter’s body after it was repatriated and concluded he died as a
result of a fractured skull and spine due to blunt trauma consistent
with a fall. |
Fall overboard |
| May 11 |
Norwegian Dawn Norwegian Cruise Line |
A
46 year old woman was reported to have fallen overboard from the ship
at about 7:50 PM on a cruise from New York City to Bermuda. A search
was called off because of bad weather. The cruise line asserted that
video tapes show she was apparently trying to climb between balconies
when she fell overboard near Atlantic City, NJ. Her family believes
foul play was likely involved, which has been disputed by the cruise
line. |
Person Overboard |
| April 22 |
Carnival Victory Carnival Cruise Lines |
A 44 year old man was reported missing by his wife. It
is
believed he fell overboard 40 miles northeast of Cozumel. A rescue crew
from Clearwater's (Florida) Coast Guard Station are helping in the
search. While the FBI says there was no foul play, family members
disagree saying that man was not suicidal. He was apparently last seen
in the ship's casino. |
Person missing |
| March 9 |
Costa Mediterranea Costa Crociere |
A 39-year-old woman who became angry with her
boyfriend reportedly jumped off the ship early Sunday, prompting a
search for her
in the Florida Keys. The unnamed woman jumped
overboard about 20 miles southeast of Key Largo about 1:18 AM. |
Person overboard |
| February 18 |
Constellation Celebrity Cruises |
A 28 year old Chnese crew member went missing as the
ship
approached Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale). He had last been seen at
5AM and then did not show up for morning muster an hour later at 6AM. A
search
of the ship was undertaken but was unsuccessful. The Coast Guard
wasnotified of the disappearance at 1:40PM. |
Person missing |
| February 1 |
Carnival Glory Carnival Cruise Lines |
NBC6 in Miami and Coast Guard News report that a 46 year old Indian crew member failed to show up for work at 6:30 AM and is presumed missing at sea. The crew searched the ship and reviewed security tapes before notifying the Coast Guard around 12:30 PM. The COast Guard search was unsuccessful. The ship was en route to Nassau, the last stop on a seven day cruise embarking at Port Canaveral and that included Belize City and Cozumel. | Person missing |
| January 15 | Windstar Cruises | The company reported to the FBI that a non-US national crew member jumped off the ship while it was off the coast of Costa Rica. | Person overboard |
Compiled by Ross
A. Klein, PhD, Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland