Everything that happens when someone falls overboard on a cruise ship

While the number of people who go overboard on cruise ships is very low, it's still higher than the ideal figure of zero.

Of the millions of people who pay to hop aboard a cruise ship, the number of those who fall overboard is about one or two a month.

Between 2009 and 2019, a total of 212 cruise ship passengers were listed as going overboard, and sadly the survival rate is not great.

Of those 212 people who went into the water only 48 survived, so one of the more common things which happens when someone falls overboard on a cruise ship is that they sadly die.

A report from the Cruise Lines International Association about people falling overboard between 2009 and 2019 found that passengers had a 0.00004 percent chance of falling from the ship.

While it's unlikely to happen, the crew of ships are well drilled for such an emergency and have certain procedures in place.

Crews train for people going overboard, but survival rates are low. (Getty Stock Photo)

Man Overboard!

The cry of 'man overboard' is actually gender neutral, and is a universally recognised maritime call.

Whomever sees a person falling overboard should be using that as their shout to try and alert crew members to what's just happened, as time is of the essence.

It's difficult for a ship to stop in time, and getting back to the stricken passenger is difficult. (Getty Stock Photo)

Code Oscar

If you hear this phrase over the ship's announcement system, then it means someone has gone overboard.

You might hear 'Code Oscar', the word 'Oscar' repeated or hear the crew members talking about 'Mr Mob', which is code for 'man overboard'.

At this point it's best to get out of the way and let them handle things as the tannoy announcement means it'll be public knowledge.

If you hear the word 'Oscar' over the ship's announcement it means someone is overboard. (Getty Stock Photo)

Log the location

The seas are vast and often lack distinctive features, while a cruise ship itself can hardly slam the brakes on and end up pretty much where it was.

Stopping a ship or turning it back to where it was takes a lot of time, so instead it's vital for the crew to log the location they were in when they were alerted that someone had gone overboard.

This will help the search and rescue efforts have a starting point.

Once the crew know someone is overboard they'll log the location. (Getty Stock Photo)

Begin the search

From there the ship will turn around and return to the spot it just marked as it's going to be the closest vessel which can respond.

The cruise ship will notify other vessels in the area, which will be required to come and help in the search.

Meanwhile, the ship's crew will put their training to work and scour the sea for signs of someone going overboard.

The ship will have smaller craft which can be deployed to get over to somebody in the water, and search efforts can last several hours.

Sadly, given the low survival rates involved with people going overboard these rescue efforts are not always successful at locating whomever fell from the ship.

Rescue attempts will be launched, which the crew will have trained for. (Getty Stock Photo)

Support the family

Many people who fall overboard on a cruise ship have got loved ones with them, and counselling will be made available to them.

They will usually be given the chance to leave the cruise at the next available port and can be helped to return home.

Topics: Cruise Ship, Travel

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker