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BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE 

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a passenger on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Symphony of the Seas went overboard during a voyage from St. Kitts to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A graphic video taken by another passenger (available at this link with viewer discretion strongly advised) shows that the man’s body was recovered by the vessel’s crew. 

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred on the Symphony of the Seas en route to Saint Thomas this morning. Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones for their loss, and our care team is providing support and assistance during this difficult time,” RCCL said in a statement to media.

Video courtesy Josh Mackay15 / Twitter 

After a report that a male Australian national had gone overboard, the Symphony turned and launched a rescue boat, RCCL said. After a full-scale search, the crew recovered the body of the victim, bystander video shows. The cruise line says that it is working closely with authorities and will continue to assist in an ongoing investigation.

The cause of the man-overboard incident is not yet known. Symphony of the Seas has continued on her commercial voyage, and as of Wednesday night she was under way for the cruise line’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay. She is due to return to her homeport of Miami, Florida on Saturday. 

The casualty follows shortly after two other cruise ship man-overboard incidents aboard vessels operated by the Carnival brand Princess Cruises – one involving the loss of a male passenger from the Shanghai-based cruise ship Majestic Princess and another involving a Taiwanese female passenger from the Keelung-based Sun Princess.