More than 30 people have disappeared from cruise ships over the last four years. Jane Archer looks at the issue of suicide-at-sea and the reaction of other holiday-makers.
Two or three times in the days when I used to commute, my train was stopped because someone had jumped under the wheels. No one, myself included, expressed remorse that someone felt the need to jump to his or her death; instead we huffed and puffed and looked at our watches, annoyed that someone had dared to disturb our journey home.
Can cruise liners do anything to prevent people from jumping overboard?
I was reminded of this when I read this week that one man had died and another was rescued after going overboard from two different Carnival Cruise Lines ships. Both are thought to have jumped.
In March, an American was reported to have leapt 60 feet into the water from Carnival Glory while under the influence of alcohol and lived to tell the tale despite being eight hours in the water. Ten days later, a couple plunged 50 feet off their balcony on Grand Princess and were also rescued he continued his cruise while the woman was taken to hospital in Costa Maya and then back home.
Most of these people were lucky, but more than 30 have disappeared from ships in the past four years, according to the cruise industry. Most incidents are assumed to have ended in tragedy.
Take the man who fell from his balcony on Royal Caribbean Internationals Freedom of the Seas last month. His body was never found. Or the German woman found missing from QE2 when it docked in Southampton in January.
In 2005, a Vietnamese couple vanished from Carnival Destiny. The same year, honeymooning George Smith disappeared from Royal Caribbeans Brilliance of the Seas.
We can only guess what happened to these people, but it would be very hard to fall overboard accidentally (the railings are too high), which suggests either foul play or that they went on board specifically to commit suicide or that they were drunk and fooling about on the balcony railings, and simply toppled over the edge.
The family of George Smith was convinced that he was a victim of foul play, but nothing could be proved simply because there are no police at sea. No one had jurisdiction over the matter, so the case could not be investigated properly. The ship carried on with its cruise and the widow agreed to a $1 million settlement from Royal Caribbean.
Not surprisingly, cruise lines dont want to talk about losing people overboard, but the Passenger Shipping Association maintains incidents like this are rare and that cruising is one of the safest holidays you can take. Equally unsurprising is the reaction of those on the ship who are just trying to have a nice holiday.
Much like those people on a train who have found themselves delayed because of a jumper, Carnival Glory passengers were furious that their cruise was disrupted by the aforementioned 35-year-old, who had apparently had too much to drink the ship doubled back to look for him so they were late into Nassau and missed some excursions.
Several passengers responded to a USA Today report on the incident by suggesting the US Coast Guard should bill him for the cost of the rescue.
It is serious if people fall overboard for whatever reason, but safety of life is the ships priority so the captain has to turn back, said PSA director William Gibbons.
The pressing question now is what effect incidents like this could have on the way cruise lines treat us in this safety-mad world of ours. I personally believe cruise lines nanny us far too much already with warnings about the danger of leaning over railings or getting burned in a hot shower.
How long will it be before they feel the need to patrol the decks or box in balconies to stop drunken idiots from going over the side?
While I agree it is very sad that people get so high (or low) that they feel the need to jump, that would be the real tragedy.
Hi Saxx, I read this story with interest, particularly the German woman from the QE2 who was "FOUND MISSING". How can you be found if you are missing?
Anyway, passing right along. Many years ago, maybe as far back as the 1950's, there was a case of a female passenger on, (I believe),a Union Castle boat, who went missing. There was strong circumstantial evidence that a steward had become amourously involved and raped her, then pushed her out of the port hole. The case was pursued and a lot was written in the press about it but no body was ever found so no charges could be laid. If I remember it became known as "the murder without a body".
A friend of mine, ex Merchant Seaman, who was in the Sydney Harbour Water Police used to tell stories of bodies being fished out of the water, not really the sort of details I could repeat here, and later he was transferred to the Railway Police dealing with the aftermath of people jumping in front of trains. I won't go into the details but when you hear about what coppers put up with almost every working day its no wonder so many of them need "stress leave".
Change of direction. I have heard that merchant ships no longer have the regular lifeboat drills that were routine to us. The reason I was given was because so many of the third world crews now manning most ships were actually being drowned doing these drills!!!!! I vaguely recall that was the case of a ship off the coast of Western Australia just a few years ago. Anyone know anything about this change in routines??? Stu
