Amsterdam crew member missing

[scluvsrain]

It was a passenger that was lost on the Westerdam. What I later heard was that the passenger was on an excursion on the water and apparently disappeared. Then he didn’t come back to the ship or he missed a medical appointment. Not official.

 

 

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[mellowrose]

So sad and I guess there were no witnesses?

[frankc98376]

Westerdam passenger overboard was in Glacier Bay area. According to news reports there was video of him going overboard. Was never found.

[sail7seas]

Awful.

[ChinaShrek]

The reports of crew members and passengers going overboard in Alaska this summer has me thinking. Is Alaska more prone to people going overboard than other regions of the world? What is the man overboard rate for cruising in general? Are certain cruise lines or itineraries more prone to this than others? In other words, I wonder if we can discern any pattern to these unfortunate incidents.

[Fouremco]

The reports of crew members and passengers going overboard in Alaska this summer has me thinking. Is Alaska more prone to people going overboard than other regions of the world? What is the man overboard rate for cruising in general? Are certain cruise lines or itineraries more prone to this than others? In other words, I wonder if we can discern any pattern to these unfortunate incidents.

I suspect that there may be as many internationally, but reporting doesn't get picked up by mainstream US media in the same way that reporting from Alaska does.

[catl331]

What is the man overboard rate for cruising in general? Are certain cruise lines or itineraries more prone to this than others?

HERE IS a list of overboard incidents since 1995. the latest three happen to be in AK or Canada, but after that they are all over the world. Most by far are on Carnival, followed by RCI, NCL, Princess, HAL, and MSC/Celebrity tied. Does Carnival still advertise that they are the "fun ships"? Maybe booze consumption and age of passengers are factors.

Number missing in 10 years (2006 - 2015) = 214 (average = 21.4 per year)

Number missing in 5 years (2011 - 2015) = 116 (average = 23 per year)

Edited August 5, 2018 by catl331

[broberts]

HERE IS a list of overboard incidents since 1995. the latest three happen to be in AK or Canada, but after that they are all over the world. Most by far are on Carnival, followed by RCI, NCL, Princess, HAL, and MSC/Celebrity tied. Does Carnival still advertise that they are the "fun ships"?

Number missing in 10 years (2006 - 2015) = 214 (average = 21.4 per year)

Number missing in 5 years (2011 - 2015) = 116 (average = 23 per year)

 

Carnival likely leads the category as it carries the most passengers departing from the US.

[sail7seas]

Carnival likely leads the category as it carries the most passengers departing from the US.

 

 

Carnival Corp or , Carnival Cruise Line?

[OlsSalt]

HERE IS a list of overboard incidents since 1995. the latest three happen to be in AK or Canada, but after that they are all over the world. Most by far are on Carnival, followed by RCI, NCL, Princess, HAL, and MSC/Celebrity tied. Does Carnival still advertise that they are the "fun ships"? Maybe booze consumption and age of passengers are factors.

Number missing in 10 years (2006 - 2015) = 214 (average = 21.4 per year)

Number missing in 5 years (2011 - 2015) = 116 (average = 23 per year)

 

It was reported the introduction of cabin balconies also increased the numbers of "man overboard" incidents - people probably young, drunk and foolish, posing for pictures?

[catl331]

Carnival likely leads the category as it carries the most passengers departing from the US.

By how much? 50% more than RCI and three times Princess?

[VennDiagram]

Thoughts are prayers go out to all affected

Crewman missing from cruise ship in southeast Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A crewman is missing from a cruise ship in Alaska waters.

The Coast Guard is searching in Sitka Sound by helicopter for a 35-year old man reported overboard from the 780-foot (238-meter) cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam.

The man was last seen on the ship at 6 p.m. Thursday. He did not show up for a work shift and other crewman and alerted the vessel's captain at about 7:45 p.m.

The vessel turned around and searched but has since continued south toward Victoria, British Columbia.

Ship officials notified the Coast Guard of the missing man at 9 p.m. The helicopter crew began searching off Biorka Island at 1 a.m. Friday.

The Coast Guard reports wind in the area at 43 mph (69 kph), waves to 8 feet (2.4 meters) and heavy fog.

 

How very sad. Condolences to this person's friends, family, and co workers.

[MalbecWine]

How very sad. Condolences to this person's friends, family, and co workers.

 

I feel the same way. Too much of this has been happening over the last few years. Thirty years ago you seldom heard of this on any line. Yes, it has happened on luxury lines as well. Who knows why this happens. Ships have clergy maybe they need psychiatrists as well.

[ChinaShrek]

HERE IS a list of overboard incidents since 1995. the latest three happen to be in AK or Canada, but after that they are all over the world. Most by far are on Carnival, followed by RCI, NCL, Princess, HAL, and MSC/Celebrity tied. Does Carnival still advertise that they are the "fun ships"? Maybe booze consumption and age of passengers are factors.

Number missing in 10 years (2006 - 2015) = 214 (average = 21.4 per year)

Number missing in 5 years (2011 - 2015) = 116 (average = 23 per year)

 

The numbers appear to be increasing but I'm not sure if the increase is statistically significant or not. If it is increasing, I wonder if more people are committing suicide (by cruise ship).

[cruisemom42]

I feel the same way. Too much of this has been happening over the last few years. Thirty years ago you seldom heard of this on any line. Yes, it has happened on luxury lines as well. Who knows why this happens. Ships have clergy maybe they need psychiatrists as well.

 

The numbers appear to be increasing but I'm not sure if the increase is statistically significant or not. If it is increasing, I wonder if more people are committing suicide (by cruise ship).

 

I suspect that the percentage is not increasing -- but there are a lot more passengers cruising now than 30 years ago -- or even 10 years ago.

 

On the other hand, I suppose it may be possible that the overall incidence is increasing -- after all, it was recently and widely reported that suicide rates in the US overall have increased significantly in the last decade....

[lucythedogsmom]

I was on this ship, it was definitely the Amsterdam. It was our first cruise and it ended up being not a great experience. The crew member was reported missing a few hours after we left Sitka. The ship kept it very vague but after talking to several crew members it sounded like the crew member intentionally jumped off. The captain didn't announce anything until 7 am when we were supposed to be docking in Ketchikan, we ended up not docking in Ketchikan and we were late to Victoria on Saturday. I wish we had known they were stopping the ship to assist the Coast Guard Thursday night. I'm not sure how often this happens on cruises but adding an extra game of bingo and 10% off a future cruise did not help anything. I felt awful for the crew that was supposed to continue on as if nothing happened. Because the ship didn't stop in Ketchikan the ship also ran out of toilet paper in all public bathrooms. No one mentioned this either unless you asked guest services.

[jhannah]

Always sad. Especially tragic for those left behind.

[Boatdrill]

I was on this ship....I wish we had known they were stopping the ship to assist the Coast Guard Thursday night.

 

Why do you wish you had known ? (just curious)

[OlsSalt]

I was on this ship, it was definitely the Amsterdam. It was our first cruise and it ended up being not a great experience. The crew member was reported missing a few hours after we left Sitka. The ship kept it very vague but after talking to several crew members it sounded like the crew member intentionally jumped off. The captain didn't announce anything until 7 am when we were supposed to be docking in Ketchikan, we ended up not docking in Ketchikan and we were late to Victoria on Saturday. I wish we had known they were stopping the ship to assist the Coast Guard Thursday night. I'm not sure how often this happens on cruises but adding an extra game of bingo and 10% off a future cruise did not help anything. I felt awful for the crew that was supposed to continue on as if nothing happened. Because the ship didn't stop in Ketchikan the ship also ran out of toilet paper in all public bathrooms. No one mentioned this either unless you asked guest services.

 

We have been on ships when there is a medical emergency evacuation which disrupts things too. Never expected to get compensation for this unfortunate event. It happens from time to time and it is unfortunate for all concerned. Forgive them. These are never easy to manage. Nor do they typically wake up everyone in their cabins late at night with an announcement. They simply do what they can do, under these difficult circumstances. Sorry this left a bad taste in your mouth about HAL ships.

 

On an early HAL cruise we woke up with what looked like islands off our starboard balcony on a Mexican Riviera cruise out of San Diego. Being a Californian I was stunned I did not know my geography better because I could think of no land mass islands out that direction from the ship.

 

Turned out the ship had to turn around in the middle of the night to get into closer range for a medical evacuation helicopter from San Diego, so we were totally turned around and heading north instead of south. Those mysterious western "islands" were in fact the Baja peninsula itself. That early HAL cruise taught us real life can happen on cruise ships too and one simply has to go with the flow one is presented.

 

Was there anything to accomplish announcing this to all the passengers at 4am? Just so they would know. I don't think so. As perplexed as we were when we woke up, we soon learned what was in store for us later in the morning as the helicopter arrived and hopefully the passenger had a good recovery. But we did not need to know that either in the interests of medical privacy,

[Keith1010]

I suspect that the percentage is not increasing -- but there are a lot more passengers cruising now than 30 years ago -- or even 10 years ago.

 

On the other hand, I suppose it may be possible that the overall incidence is increasing -- after all, it was recently and widely reported that suicide rates in the US overall have increased significantly in the last decade....

 

I very much agree with you.

 

Significantly more cruise ships today compared to 30 years ago.

 

And the overall capacity of each ship is much larger.

 

And we didn't have the internet back then and all of the 7x24 news. I am reminded that we sailed Grand Princess in 1997. A passenger jumped off the balcony and died. Never heard a thing about this in the news. Today, it would likely be on Cruise Critic and on many of the internet/news sites.

 

It is very sad that someone would take their own life whether that happens at sea or on land. Thoughts to the loved ones.

 

Keith

[Wehwalt]

It would seem useful to notify passengers in some fashion of such last-minute itinerary changes, even if only a slip of paper under the door or in the mailbox that there has been a delay and a fuller announcement will be made once people are awake. It might give people the time they need to alter their on-shore arrangements that do not involve ship's shore excursions. I see this sort of thing as a two way street: the cruise line does its best to keep us informed promptly, and we respond with easy acceptance.

[sail7seas]

A cruise ship is community of thousands of people. Wherever you may find a community of that size, things will happen. People will have accidents, bec ome ill, do stupid things............. it is to be expected. What would you or could you have done differently had crew and/or captain gotten on speaker system and told every detail? Nothing would have been different.

[lucythedogsmom]

This is kind of why I was hesitant to post anything. I didn't say I wanted to know every detail. We were informed of every other activity so it seemed weird to not be told of this change. I don't expect any compensation but I feel awful for the crew who had to put on a happy face and pretend they had not lost someone they work with. This was my personal experience from being on the ship and I thought I would add what I knew. We did go with the flow and did not expect to know the private details of the person's life or even every detail of what was happening. It was a very sad situation and I feel awful for his family.

Edited August 7, 2018 by lucythedogsmom

[OlsSalt]

This is kind of why I was hesitant to post anything. I didn't say I wanted to know every detail. We were informed of every other activity so it seemed weird to not be told of this change. I don't expect any compensation but I feel awful for the crew who had to put on a happy face and pretend they had not lost someone they work with. This was my personal experience from being on the ship and I thought I would add what I knew.

 

Thank you for your follow-up. I am sure it was a very difficult time. And a very unusual first time HAL cruise experience.

[sail7seas]

I agree

 

 

Lucy,

 

 

Thank you for posting the followup. You did not say 'every detail.' Sorry, I used those words.