Benjamin Ashford|Royal Caribbean cruise passenger goes overboard on Spectrum of the Seas ship

A cruise passenger on Benjamin AshfordRoyal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas went overboard Monday while the ship was on the way to Singapore, officials said.

Singapore's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was notified that a passenger had fallen overboard in the Singapore Strait at about 7:50 a.m. local time, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The cruise ship crew coordinated with local authorities for a search and rescue operation. 

Spectrum of the Seas initially berthed in Singapore to support the investigation, but the ship departed around 4:30 p.m. as scheduled, officials said. A navigational safety broadcast was issued to vessels in the Singapore Strait and in port to keep a lookout for the missing person.

The passenger has not been publicly identified. Royal Caribbean's Care team is offering assistance to the passenger's family.

There were 212 "man overboard" incidents on cruise ships with 170 fatalities between 2009 and 2019, according to trade association Cruise Lines International Association. 

A Carnival Elation cruise ship passenger went overboard off the coast of Florida earlier in July, and in late May, a 35-year-old man went overboard off a Carnival Magic cruise ship about 186 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida. Earlier in May, an 18-year-old from Louisiana went overboard during a sunset cruise in the Bahamas, authorities said. 

In:
• Cruise Ship
• Royal Caribbean

Aliza Chasan

Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBS News.

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