Royal Caribbean cruise passenger who ‘could not swim’ goes overboard in Singapore Strait
MRCC Singapore issued navigational safety broadcast to vessels in the Singapore Strait
A Royal Caribbean cruise passenger went overboard early Monday as the vessel was en route to Singapore.
Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Singapore was notified around 7:50 a.m. that a passenger onboard the Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas ship had fallen overboard in the Singapore Strait.
MRCC Singapore issued navigational safety broadcast to vessels in the Singapore Strait and vessels in port to keep a lookout for the missing person and report their sightings.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the passenger was berthed earlier in Singapore to support the investigation and had departed Singapore around 4:30 p.m.
COAST GUARD SUSPENDS SEARCH FOR CARNIVAL CRUISE PASSENGER WHO ALLEGEDLY JUMPED FROM SHIP
The Spectrum of the Seas, a Quantum Ultra class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International is seen berthed at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre on May 23, 2022 in Singapore. (Suhaimi Abdullah/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"The shipboard team is working with local authorities, and our Care Team is offering assistance and support to the family," Royal Caribbean told FOX Business. "Out of privacy for the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share."
The Straits Times, a Singaporean newspaper, identified the passenger who went overboard as 64-year-old Reeta Sahani of India.
CRUISE INDUSTRY SEEING SUMMER BOOM WITH PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS LIFTED
Her son, 39-year-old Apoorv Sahani, told the outlet that his mother could not swim and the ship’s crew "thinks she jumped."
An empty Merlion Park in Singapore is pictured here on Feb. 3, 2021. The Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship was on its way to Singapore when a passenger when overboard. (REUTERS/Edgar Su / Reuters Photos)
"She was on a holiday enjoying herself and then this whole thing happened. It doesn’t make sense," he reportedly said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP
The incident comes after a passenger aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas was rescued after falling overboard in late June. She was reported to have been in the water for up to 45 minutes before being rescued.