Crew Member Falls Overboard From Norwegian Cruise Ship, USCG Suspends Search Off Cape Cod

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a crew member who fell overboard from the cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway while the vessel was returning from Bermuda to Boston.

The incident occurred late April 25, when security footage reportedly captured the unidentified crew member going overboard about 12 miles off Wellfleet, Massachusetts, near Cape Cod.

The vessel was nearing the end of a seven-day round-trip cruise with roughly 4,000 passengers on board.

A ship-wide man overboard announcement was issued and the vessel immediately launched rescue efforts, including deploying lifeboats and using floodlights to search the surrounding waters.

According to passenger accounts, the ship remained in the area for hours while searching for the missing crew member.

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England received the alert and joined the operation shortly after 1:15 a.m.

A Coast Guard helicopter and a crew from Coast Guard Station Provincetown were deployed to assist. A second helicopter later joined the operation as authorities continued aerial and surface searches.

Search efforts were suspended around midday on April 26 pending new information.

Coast Guard officials said the search would only resume if new information emerged that could guide rescue efforts.

The circumstances surrounding how the crew member went overboard remain unknown, and authorities have not released the individual’s identity.

Passengers arriving in Boston aboard Norwegian Breakaway were informed that the ship’s arrival had been delayed because of the prolonged search and rescue effort.

The vessel reached Boston’s Black Falcon Terminal just before noon Sunday.

In a notice to passengers, the cruise line said the ship had remained engaged in search and rescue operations overnight and into the morning while coordinating with maritime authorities, adding that those efforts delayed the vessel’s return for its next voyage.

Norwegian Cruise Line later said the safety and well-being of its crew remains a top priority and extended thoughts to the crew member’s family.

Passenger Rebecca Durandisse, who was on board during the incident, told local media she was awakened by lights and loud activity outside her cabin before learning a crew member had gone overboard.

The waters off Cape Cod were believed to be between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of the incident, conditions that can lead to hypothermia within minutes and sharply reduce survival chances.

Maritime search specialists note that once a person is not located quickly in cold, moving waters, currents and visibility make rescue efforts increasingly difficult.

The incident also marks the second reported case this month involving a Norwegian Cruise Line crew member lost overboard.

Another crew member from Norwegian Viva went overboard near Costa Maya on April 9 and was not found.

The 145,655-gross-ton Norwegian Breakaway remained involved in the search before the Coast Guard took over, with shipboard rescue boats and U.S. responders continuing efforts for several hours before authorities ended the operation.

No foul play has been reported, and the cause of the overboard incident remains under investigation.

References: cruisehive, cbsnews