On Tuesday, a spokesperson from Royal Caribbean confirmed that a passenger had fallen overboard from the world’s largest cruise ship.
Officials informed Fox 35 that the individual went over the side of the ship when the Wonder of the Seas was near the shores of Cuba. Travelers shared on Facebook that the occurrence took place at approximately 7:30 or 8 p.M. On Tuesday evening, updating their posts with details about the incident.
The local authorities immediately launched a rescue and search operation, working closely with the ship’s crew. According to a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean, a guest sailing on the Wonder of the Seas went overboard on August 29th.
According to the Royal Caribbean spokesperson, the cruise company has been collaborating with the US Coast Guard.
The US Coast Guard official stated that the Cuban Border Guard is currently not involved in the case. The incident occurred in Cuban territorial waters due to a person falling overboard, and the Cuban Border Guard is responsible for coordinating the rescue and search mission. This information was shared by an insider from the US Coast Guard’s South Florida branch, according to a spokesperson.
Based on cruise tracking data, the vessel is presently located to the south of Cuba. The 230,000-ton cruise liner had completed two days of its seven-day route since departing from Port Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday.
Passengers on The Wonder of the Seas, who had already diverted their original itinerary due to Hurricane Idalia, experienced a record-breaking surge of stormy weather in Florida this week.
According to Cruise Hive, a cruise industry blog, it was reported that the ship continued its journey before the passenger was located. The blog mentioned that the ship’s crew members dedicated around three hours to the search.
In 2024, once it commences operations, the Icon of the Seas will surpass the Wonder’s achievement. The vessel has the capacity to accommodate approximately 7,000 passengers, in addition to 2,300 crew members. The colossal cruise ship spans 1,188 feet in length across 18 decks. Currently, the Wonder of the Seas holds the title for being the largest cruise ship undertaking passenger voyages.
This is at least the sixth individual to fall overboard a cruise ship in the previous three months.
Only one of the passengers was successfully rescued. Previous incidents occurred on the cruise ships Mariner and Princess Emerald, Spectrum, Elation Carnival, and Magic Carnival in the seas.
Professor Travis Heggie of Bowling Green State University conducted research on cruise ships, specifically focusing on the leading cause of death for passengers, which is rare incidents of man-overboard. His research specializes in safety and health risks in the tourism industry.
Every year, an average of 19 people go overboard from cruise ships, and in 2020, a study commissioned by the International Cruise Lines Association successfully rescued about four of those individuals.
The success rate of attempts to rescue a man overboard is low. The occurrence of a person going overboard has sparked a debate on whether cruise ships should install automatic man-overboard detection systems, which alert the crew members.
The spokesperson emphasized in a previously shared statement with Insider that security and safety are top priorities for the cruise industry. They stated that all cruise lines employ a variety of measures to maintain a safe environment on board, including trained crew members who can quickly respond to emergencies or unsafe situations, surveillance video systems in public areas, and physical barriers around the periphery of balconies and external decks.