Search Called off for Cruise Crewmember Who Went Overboard off Cape Cod
The U.S. Coast Guard has called off a search for a crewmember who fell overboard from the cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway off the coast of Wellfleet, Massachusetts on Saturday night.
Norwegian Breakaway made a routine commercial voyage to Bermuda last week and was on the way back to port on Saturday. The search was initiated after the cruise ship notified the Coast Guard that a man had gone over the side. A camera had caught video footage of a man falling overboard from an upper deck level. Passengers reported that parts of decks seven and eight were closed down during the initial search, and that an alert of an MOB in progress on the port side has been issued.
The cruise ship reversed course and initiated a search, and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter aircrew joined in at about 0100 hours Sunday morning. The search was called off at 1225 hours on Sunday afternoon. Norwegian Breakaway has since returned to port in Boston.
"The safety, security, and well-being of our crew is our highest priority," said operator Norwegian Cruise Line in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the crewmember's family during this difficult time."
Roughly 20-25 man-overboard incidents happen on cruise ships around the world ever year; the odds of survival are low, and most are fatal. Cruise ships' rails are high and built to prevent accidents, so casualties often involve circumstances outside of daily norms. The cause of Saturday's casualty is still under investigation.
Cruise Ship Sapphire Princess Recovers Five Bodies From the Mediterranean
On Tuesday, the crew of the cruise ship Sapphire Princess took on the difficult task of recovering five bodies from the waters of the western Mediterranean.
After departing Cagliari on Monday evening on a routine voyage to Cartagena, Sapphire Princess encountered signs of a distress situation at a position about 80 nautical miles to the northwest of Algiers. After a lifejacket was spotted in the water, the crew turned back on their course and launched a rescue boat to investigate. They found the body of a deceased man, and recovered the remains for safe return to the ship. About one hour later, a second body was spotted, then three more.
Passengers observed the recoveries unfold, and several described the experience on social media. Princess Cruises has offered counseling to staff and passengers who wish to take advantage of it.
"It was very somber. They closed all the blinds on the public dining and drinking decks," one passenger reported. "Everyone was up from their tables to see the commotion and then after we heard the call over the speaker."
The Sapphire Princess resumed her commercial voyage to Cartagena after the recovery operation, and delivered the bodies to authorities on shore.
Princess Cruises noted in a statement that the victims were not passengers or crewmembers of the vessel. "We extend our sincere condolences for this loss and are grateful to our crew for their swift response and efforts to render assistance," Princess said.
Spain's National Police are investigating whether the victims may be connected to a small boat that was discovered adrift off Cartagena recently. On Monday afternoon, a French Navy patrol ship found a small migrant boat drifting off Murcia. Three bodies and two survivors were aboard. All were delivered to Cartagena by a rescue boat from the Salvamento Maritimo lifesaving service.
The survivors were treated and taken into custody by the National Police for questioning. They told investigators that they had departed North Africa to reach Spain and had been at sea for as much as three weeks. Based on evidence available, the police have questions about how many people were on board at the time of departure, how many others may have died on the crossing, and whether any acts of violence were committed by some of those aboard.
About 500 people died or disappeared on the Western Mediterranean migration route last year, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), out of a total of roughly 8,000 irregular arrivals by sea.
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