Crew Member Dies After Overboard Incident On Regal Princess

Princess Cruises says a crew member has died after going overboard from Regal Princess during a western Caribbean voyage, ending a large search effort in waters off Cancun, Mexico.

The incident happened on July 13th as the 3,560-guest ship traveled from Fort Lauderdale toward Cozumel.

Tracking data appeared to show the ship reversing course before reaching Cozumel, as crew members and local maritime officials began searching for the missing crew member.

In a statement, Princess Cruises said: “Princess Cruises is deeply saddened to confirm the passing of a Princess crew member who has gone overboard today from Regal Princess.“

The cruise line also said: “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the crew’s family and friends during this difficult time. Grief support services are being offered to guests and crew members affected by this event.“

Earlier, the cruise line had said the crew member was unaccounted for and that an active search and rescue operation was underway in coordination with maritime authorities.

Search Effort Brought In Multiple Ships

The operation unfolded off Cancun on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and meant Regal Princess could not continue to Cozumel as originally planned.

Carnival Jubilee, sailing a seven-night cruise from Galveston, Texas, also assisted while heading toward Honduras. After the search concluded, both ships went back to their planned itineraries.

Princess Cruises thanked those involved in the response, saying: “Princess Cruises thanks the local maritime authorities and our colleagues from Carnival Jubilee who assisted in search and rescue efforts.”

Itinerary Changed After The Search

Because Regal Princess stayed in the area during the operation, it missed its planned Cozumel stop on July 13th.

Princess Cruises later revised the voyage so the ship is expected to call at Cozumel on July 16th instead. The Belize stop still went ahead, and the visit to Roatán, Honduras, was left unchanged.

Regal Princess is still expected to finish its seven-night western Caribbean cruise and arrive back in Fort Lauderdale on July 18th.

So far, Princess Cruises has not shared any additional details about what led up to the incident.

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