Sigmund Ropich: A 19-year-old Texas man went overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
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How many people have gone overboard from a cruise ship? Not very many as compared to the number of passengers over time. Worldwide, as of 2023, 386 cruise and ferry passengers and crew have gone overboard since 2000, according to a list from CruiseJunkie.
In 2023 thus far, there have been 10 overboard incidents affecting 11 people, according to data compiled by Ross Klein, a social work professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, who runs a cruise safety website. Nine of those eleven people died as a result.
How many people are rescued after falling off a cruise ship? Of the 212 listed as overboard between 2009 and 2019, only 48 people were rescued. But miracles do happen.
As soon as an incident happens, cruise ship crew will activate a button that pinpoints the place where the person went into the water. The ship will then stop and turn back to that area. The ship and its crew will perform a lengthy search and rescue operation, lasting several hours.
Unfortunately, the actual number of annual disappearances from cruise ships is unknown. It is estimated that over 200 passengers have gone missing within the past twenty years.
The Maritime Injury Guide reports that 19 people go missing from cruise ships yearly. While that may not sound significant, it adds up to 400 people over the last 20 years. This includes accidental falls overboard, suicides, and disappearances during port visits.
Are cruise ships safe? Let's cut right to the chase: Yes, cruise ships are generally safe as long as you use common sense and remember that vessels are not impervious to accidents, illness or people who just don't know how to behave.
Searchlights will sweep the water if the emergency occurs at night, so any victim, body, or debris can be properly seen. If the victim is found, a lifeboat or emergency boat will be used for recovery, and medical care will be offered to combat hypothermia, water inhalation, exposure, or other injuries.
But it's often booze (and 'all you can drink' policies onboard cruise liners) which can prove to be an individual's ultimate undoing. Alcohol is involved in up to 60 percent of overboard cases, says Klein, who states intoxication is a key reason why many victim's can't stay afloat until help can reach them.
The sinking of RMS Lusitania in May 1915, after being hit by the German military submarine U-20, caused 1,201 deaths during a voyage from New York to Liverpool. She was considered the largest, fastest and most luxurious ship in the world at the time of her launch in June 1906.
If it's the former, the bridge will be notified, the emergency crew mustered, and life preservers thrown out to mark the spot where the person went down. The ship is then repositioned to return to the point of the incident, while a lifeboat is readied.
Cruise ship overboard systems aim to cut down on response time and notify the crew when someone goes overboard. Not all cruise ships have the systems yet, but some have installed them. Passengers rarely go overboard by accident, one industry expert said.
And while going overboard on cruise ships is a rare incidence, it does happen occasionally – young children that climb on the railings are particularly at risk. Kids roam free. While cruise ships are confined areas, they are large and full of safety hazards.
In a video that has gained over 600,000 views on TikTok, Jenn Lyles claimed she was on the cruise ship with Kevin McGrath, 26, the man who went missing on 4 September on the Carnival Conquest cruise ship. Mr McGrath was last seen in his cabin at 2am by his brother, said Carnival in a statement.
Cruise ships are made of heavy steel, making them quite weighty. Add passengers and crew, and the ship is even heavier. With all this weight, the vessel can easily roll through rough waters or a rogue wave. It's more dangerous to be on an empty ship as the additional weight acts as a balancer in rough seas.
The good news is that the overall number of serious crimes reported was quite low when compared to passenger counts. In a year in which more than 13 million passengers boarded ships in U.S. ports, fewer than 100 serious crimes were reported to the FBI.
Yes, cruise ships have brigs, which is the nautical term for a jail on a vessel, including a cruise ship. The term comes from the word brigantine, which is a type of two-masted sailing ship formerly used to house criminals.
According to a study, one in five people admitted to cheating on a cruise. I asked five people if they considered it cheating if you're in a different country. Four were adamant that cheating is cheating. One person said it doesn't count if you're in a different time zone.
Swimming next to a cruise ship is highly discouraged and generally not allowed for passenger safety and security reasons. Cruise ships are massive vessels with powerful propellers and currents that can create dangerous conditions for swimmers.