During the early hours of yesterday, a voyager tumbled overboard from the MSC Euribia while it was navigating the Sognefjord fjord between Lavik and Oppedal in Norway.
Based on a article from the Norwegian publication Bergens Tidende, a traveler in his late 50s, accompanied by his spouse, fell overboard at approximately 2:00 a.m. on Thursday. The vessel raised an alarm around 2:15 a.m. Presently, there are no available specifics on how or why the individual went overboard.
Following this incident, a rescue center in Southern Norway sent out a rescue helicopter, air ambulance, and numerous rescue crafts. Additionally, a rescue dinghy was dispatched from the MSC ship.
Around 3:00 a.m., the voyager’s remains were discovered and retrieved by a rescue vessel and subsequently transported via a rescue helicopter to Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, where his death was confirmed.
The local law enforcement in Norway is set to initiate an inquiry and will interrogate the crew while retrieving surveillance footage from the cruise liner.
According to a local police officer cited in the article: “This incident is categorized as a questionable demise. Multiple scenarios are being considered such as an accident, a crime, or a deliberate act.”
This marks the 411th individual to have gone overboard since 2000, as documented by Dr. Ross Klein who catalogs the comprehensive list of cruise ship overboards.
Similarly, this is the 7th individual to have fallen off from MSC cruise ships in less than the past seven months.
Included in these figures are two voyagers who, along with the latest overboard incident, perished in the water, one individual survived and recuperated, and three guests and one crew member went missing in the water.
A twenty-three (23) year-old traveler from Scotland, named Liam Brody Wilkie Jones, went overboard from the MSC Euribia on March 15, 2024.
On February 4, 2024, a passenger tumbled off the MSC Bellissima cruise ship en route from Taiwan to Okinawa. Per the Taiwan News, the passenger was located, pulled out of the water, and swiftly transported to a medical facility, where he was reported to be in satisfactory condition post-treatment.
On December 30, 2023, a traveler went overboard from the MSC Preziosa following the ship’s departure from Santos towards New Year’s Eve festivities in Rio de Janeiro.
A voyager fell off from the MSC Armonia during a transatlantic voyage to Brazil on December 15, 2023.
Furthermore, a crew member went overboard from the MSC Seascape in the waters off Puerto Rico on November 15, 2023.
The laws governing maritime activity dictate that vessel operators must promptly initiate search and rescue protocols once an individual overboard is identified. Typically, this involves altering the route of the vessel to the last known location of the individual who fell off. The enthusiasts at the cruise hub Cruise Hive highlighted this occurrence, observing that AIS tracking data indicated the MSC ship made a course change shortly after 2:00 a.m.
The crew frequently deploy life-saving rafts and employ searchlights in the pursuit of the overboard person. The captain usually issues announcements informing the passengers about the ongoing search for the missing individual.
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June 8, 2024:
The New York Post has provided coverage of the incident.
Image credit: MSC Euribia – Von ND44 – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0 commons / wikimedia.
