On Tuesday, a passenger fell overboard from the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, as it sailed off the coast of Cuba.
The vessel was on a seven-day cruise that had departed from Port Canaveral, Florida, according to a company spokesperson.
The ship’s crew promptly initiated a search and rescue operation and is collaborating with local authorities. The spokesperson for Royal Caribbean stated, “Out of respect for the family, we will not share further details about this unfortunate event.”
A video posted on TikTok by cruise passengers showed a rescue boat near the ship trying to locate the individual who went overboard.
An announcement heard through the cruise’s PA system confirmed the incident: “We actually have report of a man overboard. We have slowed the ship down. We have turned around and we are heading back to the position that we had at that time. We will start a search and rescue operation.”
Earlier, on July 31, another passenger went overboard from a separate Royal Caribbean cruise en route to Singapore.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Singapore was alerted at around 7:50 a.m. that a passenger had fallen from the Spectrum of the Seas ship into the Singapore Strait.
Royal Caribbean’s spokesperson stated, “The shipboard team is working with local authorities, and our Care Team is offering assistance and support to the family. Out of privacy for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.”
