Cruise ship passenger falls overboard Spectrum of the Seas; search underway

SINGAPORE: A passenger of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas fell overboard into the Singapore Strait, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Monday (Jul 31). 

Search efforts coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) are underway. The MRCC was notified of the incident at about 7.50am on Monday while the vessel was en route to Singapore.

The MRCC has issued a navigational safety broadcast to vessels in the Singapore Strait and vessels in port to keep a lookout for the missing person and report any sightings. Details of the missing passenger were not provided. 

The Spectrum of the Seas left Singapore at 4.30pm, MPA said in a subsequent update at 11pm. Its initial statement, sent shortly after 9pm, said the ship was "currently berthed in Singapore" and "supporting with investigations".

In a statement sent at 10.30pm, Royal Caribbean International said the Spectrum of the Seas had been "cleared by authorities" and sailed as scheduled on Monday evening.

An itinerary on the Royal Caribbean website indicates a 12-night voyage to Tokyo, with stops in Vietnam and Hong Kong, starting on Jul 31.

Ship tracking website Marine Traffic showed that, as of 10.30pm, the vessel was en route to Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Royal Caribbean added that the ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue when it was found that the person had fallen overboard.

A care team is currently offering assistance and support to the family of the missing passenger, the company said.