Crew Member Jumps Off Cruise Ship, Search Underway

An unidentified crew member remains missing after jumping from an MSC cruise ship. 

MSC Musica dubrovnik croatia
MSC Musica in Dubrovnik, Croatia (Photo courtesy of MSC Cruises)

According to MSC Cruises, the crew member went overboard last Monday evening as the MSC Musica left the port of Civitavecchia and headed to Genoa.

The vessel’s navigational team quickly responded and searched the area for three hours. The local Coast Guard aided rescue efforts by deploying air and sea assets. 

A spokesperson from the cruise line informed Cruise Radio on Wednesday afternoon, “The ship command responded promptly and the man overboard procedure was immediately initiated. In cooperation with the local authorities, a search and rescue operation was launched with the aid of a rescue helicopter and multiple patrol boats. At this present time, the search is still ongoing.”

The spokesperson added, “We are deeply saddened by this news and our thoughts are with the family, friends, and fellow crew members at this difficult time. We are providing support and care to those impacted by this.” 

The crew member’s name and gender have not been disclosed to protect the family’s privacy.

A map with navigation data shows the position and route of the passenger ship MSC Musica. The ship's details, including its destination, next stop, ETA, and speed, are displayed on the right. Additionally, a crew member jumped in to provide real-time updates for travelers.
The search area after the overboard happened. (Screenshot courtesy of MarineTraffic.com)

These events took place while the 2006-built cruise vessel was on a weeklong roundtrip voyage to the Mediterranean. It left Barcelona, Spain, last June 6 and is scheduled to return on June 13. Its itinerary includes stops in Spain, Italy, and France.

A large MSC Musica cruise ship sails in calm blue waters with a small motorboat nearby, ready for any crew member who might need to jump off for maintenance tasks.
(Photo courtesy of MSC Cruises)

The development on June 10 marks the 10th man overboard incident in 2024.

The cruise line has experienced a series of man-overboard emergencies in the past months. Last February, an elderly US citizen fell off the MSC World Europa while a Scottish passenger went overboard MSC Euribia in March.

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