A male passenger has been reported missing after falling overboard Princess Cruises’ vessel, Emerald Princess, as the ship sailed near Hilo, Hawaii. The fall occurred in the early morning hours on Friday, August 11, 2023, just as the ship was approaching Hilo, which was the first port of call for a 16-night Hawaiian Island cruise, departing from Los Angeles, California. 

Hawaiian authorities were notified of the incident at approximately 8:40 a.m. Friday morning. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) initiated a search just off the coast of the Hawaiian island. 

The male passenger, who was from California, was reported to be last seen around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. It is unclear what he was doing prior to going overboard the ship.  

Princess Cruises’ crew members searched the vessel, and reviewed the ship’s video surveillance footage. It was shown that at 4:18 a.m. on Friday morning a person who matched the description of the missing passenger was seen falling from the ship. 

The surveillance footage showed that the fall took place on Deck 9 of the 19-deck vessel, which is known as the “Dolphin” deck, featuring only staterooms and no public areas other than a ship laundromat. 

Since the surveillance footage could easily pinpoint the time of the fall, the search area was determined to be eight miles offshore Hilo, Hawaii. 

The vessel was sailing a 16-night Hawaiian Islands itinerary. The Emerald Princess had left Los Angeles on Saturday, August 5, and headed towards Hilo, which was the ship’s first scheduled port of call. Other ports of call included Honolulu, Nawiliwili, and Lahaina. The vessel was then scheduled to return back towards the mainland, making a stop in Ensenada before heading back to Los Angeles on Monday, August 21. 

This overboard incident is one of several which have occurred in recent months involving some of the major cruise lines. 

An overboard incident occurred on Royal Caribbean International’s Spectrum of the Seas on July 31, 2023. At the time, the vessel was sailing near Singapore when a 64-year-old female passenger fell overboard and died. 

Prior to that, another overboard incident was reported on Carnival Cruise Line’s, Carnival Elation, after a male passenger went overboard while the vessel was sailing to Jacksonville, Florida, after a Bahamas cruise. Search efforts were unsuccessful in locating the missing man. 

Another overboard incident occurred in April 2023 involving a male passenger who went overboard from Quantum of the Seas, a vessel owned by Royal Caribbean International. This incident occurred as the vessel was sailing approximately 500 miles south of Hawaii as part of a repositioning cruise from Brisbane, Australia to Alaska. The search for that passenger was also discontinued with no success.

Why Do Falls Overboard Occur?

Alcohol consumption plays a significant role in why falls overboard occur. While someone is on a cruise vacation, it can be easy to let alcohol consumption get out of hand, and with more alcohol comes fewer inhibitions. Usually, these incidents happen when people are not making smart decisions. Cruise lines have procedures in place to keep passengers from being overserved, but this does not mean that it does not happen. Cruise lines have these procedures not only to save lives but also to limit liability in the event someone does fall overboard after consuming too much alcohol and their family files a lawsuit against the cruise line. Normally these types of lawsuits are resolved confidentially out of court. Other times, a fall occurs because a person willingly jumps overboard in an attempt to take his or her life. In other disturbing cases, another individual may push a person. Video footage of this incident is imperative to catch the criminal and hold him or her responsible for his or her actions. Overboard detection technology could prove crucial in any of these circumstances.

Which Cruise Ships Have Overboard Detection Systems?

Many of the major cruise lines have some type of overboard detection technology on their vessels or at least on their newer vessels. The number of vessels that have this technology will only increase as manufacturers of this technology are certified with ISO standards. At least one manufacturer is expected to be certified this year. A recent article in USA Today on this technology highlighted which companies had this technology and which did not. Most did not respond to the requests, except for Disney Cruise Line who confirmed that they do have the technology on their vessels.

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Our experience allows us to effectively strategize and advocate for every client we represent. We have handled all types of cruise ship passenger accidents over the years with a focus on slip, trip and falls, medical malpractice, FlowRider accidents, sexual assaults, Death on the High Seas, and more.

Contact our law firm today for a free case evaluation at +1 (877) 372-0817. Virtual sign-ups available. 

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Source: Passenger Reported Overboard From Hawaii-Bound Cruise Ship (cruisehive.com)