by It won’t surprise anyone to learn that cruise lines prefer not to talk about people dying on their ships, but there are around 200 passenger deaths per year – not surprising given that it takes 31.5 million people vacation at sea every year, and the average. is approaching 50 years of age.
The latest incident resulted in the death of an elderly woman on Royal Caribbean International’s “Ultimate World Cruise” earlier this month. The nine-month journey, which began in Miami in December, has gone somewhat “viral” in recent weeks, with passengers posting TikTok videos detailing the minutiae of life on board.
Passengers do not share the reluctance of cruise lines to discuss the issue, and, from my experience, they seem very interested in what happens when someone dies at sea. The reality is relatively low-key, with discreet procedures, and usually initiated by coded team announcements: “Operation Bright Star”, indicating a medical emergency and “Operation Rising Star”, indicating that a passenger has died.
On one of my first cruises aboard P&O Canberra (now defunct) in the early 1990s, the resident comedian nicknamed the main lounge the Chapel of Rest in honor of the significant number of elderly guests who regularly gathered there each morning for post-breakfast simmer. , only to wake up as the announcement for lunch boomed.
The quip was dropped when a passenger went adrift in northern Norway, forcing the Canberra to change course and speed towards the nearest port for medical assistance. Sadly the guest died while we were still en route, but as the captain solemnly broke the news, the rumor mill on board went into overdrive, and this became the main talking point of the ship Guests said that there was not one, but three deaths, although this was later proven false.
It’s hard to know exactly how many cruise passengers die each year, and almost every cruise company I’ve contacted refuses to even discuss the issue, let alone reveal the figures.
According to some estimates, the figure is around 200 per year, working out to around four per week, although this is according to a study carried out by the Council. International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health 623 cruise ship passenger and crew deaths were reported between 2000 and 2019, based on data from 78 ocean and river cruise companies. The results showed the main cause of death among passengers as falling overboard or on a lower board, cardiac events (in a high-profile case in 2013, 74-year-old journalist and broadcaster David Frost died of a heart attack on the Cunard Queen .Elizabeth He was on board to talk about his career) and suicide.
Hardly a few weeks go by without a report of someone drifting off a cruise ship into the sea. The website Cruise Junkie records the total number of such incidents involving cruise ships and ferries showing that 2019 reached a record high with 29 overboards, and there have already been three cases this year. A cruise source admitted that there was a surprisingly high suicide rate, and suggested that some people book a cruise as a “last resort”. Although death due to foul play is extremely rare, such incidents do occur frequently.
Due to the intrinsic nature of cruising – with sailings that can last for months, and the average age of passengers being quite high – crews need to be prepared for the worst, which is generally the case.
All cruise ships have morgues which are usually refrigerated stainless steel rooms, the largest of which can hold up to 10 bodies in cool conditions until the ship reaches the next port – although they can be kept on board for up to a week sometimes.
When bodies are unloaded, it is done discreetly from a small exit not used by passengers and handed over, unceremoniously, to the care of a local funeral company. A death certificate is issued and arrangements are then made to fly the deceased home, which can be bureaucratic and expensive.
If the deceased had adequate travel insurance, this will cover these costs, but if there are problems or exclusions, perhaps related to an undeclared medical condition, bills can run into thousands of pounds and the next of kin are usually pay off
On world voyages and longer voyages where ships are at sea for long periods and away from ports, too many dead bodies can become a headache. There are stories of morgues filling up, and bodies being buried in wine cellars.
In one incident in 2009, an 87-year-old woman – Marion Schaefer – died 36 days into a 114-night Holland America world cruise. Eager to complete her final journey, Marion’s son, who was also on board, came up with a solution. Her remains were cremated at the next port of call – Semarang, Indonesia – allowing him, and an urn with his mother’s ashes, to complete the journey.
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, which caters to a more mature clientele, said it was relatively rare for passengers to die on its ships.
“When this happens, modern cruise ships are well equipped to deal with this with respect, care and well-equipped facilities,” said the company’s director of health services, Dr Kate Bunyan.
“On board, procedures would be followed in the same way as they would be in a land-based hospital and for local people, bereavement services are available for the rest of the cruise and when it is finished.”
In years gone by, passengers who died during a voyage might be sent to sea – saving expense and difficulty – but this was rare and could only happen if the doctor had no doubts. ship about the cause of death.
In such cases, ceremonies would take place early in the morning before other passengers were up and the ship would be slowed to the lowest speed as the captain read the service.
A guard of honor around the body, which would be in a biodegradable body bag and covered with a flag, would be placed on a hydraulic platform and lowered into the sea at the appropriate moment by senior officers.
However, a cruise expert recalled how a cadet officer pulled the wrong lever on one solemn occasion, sending the body plunging off the side of the ship and into the waves before the widow came on deck for the service.
In the panic that followed, potato sacks were hastily replaced and covered so that the service could go ahead as planned and the next of kin were none the wiser.
Today, bereaved people can bring their loved ones’ ashes into a biodegradable urn, along with death and cremation certificates, for shipping. Not only is this considered easier and more environmentally acceptable, there is much less scope for anything to go wrong.
