A crew member tragically took his own life while onboard Royal Caribbean’s, Wonder of the Seas. The crew member was a Brazilian male who died shortly after the ship departed from Port Canaveral and set sail for the Caribbean on November 13, 2022. The man, who worked as a galley steward onboard the Wonder of the Seas, had asked management if he could leave the vessel due to personal issues at home. Despite his pleas, the request was denied by ship management.

After his request was denied, tragedy soon followed. The crew member left a note before taking his own life. He also left a video posted on social media. Out of respect for the family and friends of the deceased, no other additional details have been released.  

This death has raised red flags as to why cruise ships do not have mental health professionals onboard. Working on a cruise ship can be an extremely stressful. The majority of crew members work anywhere from 9-11+ hours every day, the average amount being on the higher end of the spectrum. With long hours, little to no days off, and contracts ranging from four to nine months, crew members are expected to always be on call and be away from family and friends for extended periods of time.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. does not have any mental health professionals on their ships, even though at least 25 of their employees have gone overboard over the course of the last 13 years.   

Last year, another Royal Caribbean crew member was reported going overboard from the Odyssey of the Seas during an April voyage as the vessel sailed south of Cyprus. Prior to that in May 2020, a 27-year-old crew member from Poland disappeared while on the Jewel of the Seas, just as the vessel was sailing near the coast of Greece. Later, the ship’s closed-circuit camera footage showed the man jumping from the ship into the sea.

According to a November 2020 study released by the International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health, 623 deaths occurred on cruise ships between 2000 and 2019.  These deaths do not include any of the casualties that occurred as a result of the first stage of the coronavirus pandemic. Of the deaths reported, 89 percent (89%) were passenger deaths while 11 percent (11%) were crew members.

Of the causes for the deaths reported for passengers, 23 percent (23%) were caused by falls overboard or falls onto lower decks. Homicide and suicides accounted for 19 percent (19%) of these deaths.

However, these numbers change when reporting crew member deaths. Suicide and homicide accounted for 29 percent (29%) of crew member deaths. Falls came in at 24 percent (24%) of crew member deaths.

Within the study, the cruise lines with the most reported passenger deaths included Carnival Cruise Lines (29%), Royal Caribbean Cruises (12%), and Norwegian Cruise Line (10%) The cruise lines that had the most reported crew member deaths were Carnival Cruise and Royal Caribbean Cruises, both at 19 percent (19%).

Working on a Cruise Ship

Many experts point to the conditions of working as a crew member on a cruise ship as the reason for these numbers. Taking a cruise vacation is meant to be a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Much of the experience is thanks to the hard work and dedication of the ship’s crew and staff. However, working on a cruise ship can be an extremely demanding and an emotionally taxing job.

While working on a cruise ship, crew members are essentially always on the clock. Weekends and holidays do not exist. Crew members are expected to work every day of their entire contract and have down time only between shifts.  Shifts tend to be long, with the longest shifts being up to 12 hours.

Additionally, the living quarters on a ship are fairly small and confined for crew members. Guest cabins tend to be considered small when compared to other types of hotel rooms, but crew quarters are even smaller than guest cabins.  Most crew members live with one other roommate in an area that only allows for the absolute basics.

Crew members are always expected to be “on” when around guests. After all, cruises are known for their customer service, which means crew members are expected to be always friendly and cordial when around passengers and guests, even if they are “off duty.”  

Crew members also have little control over their assignments, including what ships they are assigned to and how long they will be gone.  Crew members normally stay with the same ship, once assigned, for the duration of their contracts. However, the assignments can abruptly change, as well, with little warning. Contracts normally last anywhere between four and nine months in length, which may not seem like a long time in the great scheme of things but can be if you are working constantly and are away at sea.

Crew members are on call 24/7 in the event of an emergency, which can include a number of issues, including medical emergencies, fire on the ship, security threats, or reports of a passenger falling overboard. Regardless of where the crew member is or what time of day or night the emergency occurs, crew members are expected to be responsible for responding to designated emergencies.  Once the emergency has been addressed and is over, crew members are still expected to work their normal shifts, no matter how long the emergency “shift” lasted. This can also make for an exceedingly long and difficult workday.

Communication is extremely limited on cruise ships. Internet is not easy to get, and it can be expensive, even for crew members. Crew members are required to purchase internet if they wish to use it, and the service will only last for 24 hours. Cell phone access is nearly impossible, which can make it difficult for crew members to connect with family and friends.   

Being cut off from friends and family can also make working on a cruise ship a stressful and lonely experience. As a crew member, you are away at sea for months at a time, meaning you miss out on major family events and milestones, and you are also away from your support system in the event you need that emotional, familiar connection. This can also make the experience of working on a cruise ship a difficult and stressful one, thereby leading to more mental health issues.

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and beyond made working on a cruise ship even more stressful for crew members. During the start of the pandemic, crew members were forced to stay onboard empty ships for weeks at a time. If these crew members became ill with the virus, they were forced to quarantine on the ship, cutting them off from all others on the vessel and leaving them with little to no contact with the outside. Also, during the start of the pandemic, crew members were obligated to stay in quarantine for 14 days before performing any working duties. This utter isolation pushed many crew members into deep depression, causing mental health issues that often went unaddressed.

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during the pandemic, 11 percent (11%) of the 5,470 adults surveyed said they had “seriously considered suicide” during the spring of 2020. Being trapped on a vessel during this time in a small space made this situation only worse.

After the pandemic hit, crew members were forced to put their lives on hold as the cruise companies struggled to work with government authorities over how they can get their crew members home safely. The logistics of repatriating crew members who came from various countries throughout the world to their home countries proved to be difficult, especially since most of these countries had officially closed their borders due to the pandemic and the fear of the virus spreading.  What resulted was tens of thousands of crew members were forced to stay at sea for months. Many of them described feeling like prisoners or pieces of cargo stuck at sea with no end in sight.  

All these factors play into why so many crew members report experiencing unaddressed mental health issues. The lack of mental health resources available to crew members only exacerbates this problem, unfortunately, as has been seen by the increase of deaths among crew members on cruise ships.

The mental health and wellbeing of the crew needs to be the main focus among shipboard management. We, at Delgado Trial Attorneys, wish to express our deepest condolences to this crew member’s family and loved ones.  It is our hope that changes can be made to pay closer attention to the mental health and safety of all crew members to ensure future incidents like this do not occur.

The Miami-based cruise ship accident and maritime injury law firm of Delgado Trial Attorneys  possess a skill set that few other maritime attorneys can claim. Raul’s extensive experience representing the cruise lines and developing their defense strategies years before they started representing the passengers and crew members that suffered injuries because of the cruise lines’ negligence. Combined with Raul Delgado, Sr.’s  45 years of personal injury experience fighting on behalf of injured accident victims, Delgado Trial Attorneys offers a combination of experience in all types of cruise ship personal injuries unlike any of their competitors.

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, cruise ship medical malpractice, FlowRider accidents, sexual assaults, Death on the High Seas, and more. Contact our law firm today for a free case evaluation. Virtual sign-ups available. Visit https://cruiselawyermiami.com/ to learn more.