The four-day search for a young British tourist, who fell overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the Adriatic Sea, was concluded by authorities, who believe the man is unlikely to have survived.
The tourist, whose identity has not been disclosed, is reported to have fallen from the Explorer of the Seas around 4:30 a.m. on August 9, 2024. The ship was navigating near the deserted Croatian island of Jabuka, approximately 45 miles west of Split at the time of the incident. The man is believed to have plunged from a height of about 100 feet, but the circumstances leading to the fall are still unknown.
Immediate search and rescue operations involving planes and boats were initiated following the incident. Croatian authorities, including the Coast Guard and the National Center for Coordination of Search and Rescue at Sea, focused their efforts around the Vis archipelago, a secluded group of islands near the last known location of the man. However, despite the favorable sea temperatures, the chances of a successful rescue started to diminish after the first 24 hours.
The Royal Caribbean cruise ship had begun a seven-day voyage in Ravenna, Italy, with planned stops in Greece and Croatia. In the early morning, passengers were alerted to the emergency by alarms and an announcement over the ship’s PA system.
Nicole Bullock, a passenger on the ship, shared her experience on a social media platform X, saying, “Woken up on the cruise ship around 3:40 a.m. to the emergency message ‘Oscar Oscar Oscar off the port side.’ Man overboard. Been watching the rescue efforts off my balcony all day, hoping for a positive outcome.”
While initial hopes were high due to the warm sea temperatures, which were around 75°F, experts started doubting the man’s survival as more time elapsed. Sanjin Dumanic of the Association of Croatian Sea Captains had said on Monday: “Since the man has been in the sea for over 40 hours, we are already losing hope.”
According to Cruise Law News, the Explorer of the Seas does not have an advanced man overboard detection system, a feature that some in the cruise industry deem crucial for enhancing safety on large ships. This incident marks at least the 414th person to go overboard from a cruise ship or large ferry in the past 25 years.
The incident has left numerous passengers and crew members disturbed. The ship continued its journey after the search was suspended, although the scheduled stop in Zadar, Croatia, was canceled. As of yet, Royal Caribbean has not issued an official statement concerning the incident. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed that they were aware of the situation and have been in contact with the cruise company, but no further details have been disclosed.
Similar incidents have occurred in the region before. For instance, in 2018, a British woman named Kay Longstaff survived a fall from a Norwegian Cruise Line ship off the Croatian coast after spending 10 hours in the water. However, each incident is unique, and survival chances can greatly vary depending on factors such as water temperature, the height of the fall, and the individual’s physical condition.
