A 72-year-old British woman has gone missing from a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and the United States Coast Guard has asked every ship in the area to keep a sharp lookout for her, travel operator Tui said. The woman was last seen aboard the Marella Voyager on Monday, November 9, while the ship was crossing from Malaga in Spain towards the Caribbean, but she was not reported missing until the following day.
Source: BBC News
Staff realised the passenger was missing on Tuesday, when a cabin attendant noticed her bed had not been slept in on Monday night, Tui said in a statement. The alarm was raised, requests were made on board for the guest to report to reception, and the crew carried out a full search of the ship and an emergency headcount on Tuesday evening — passengers were told to leave dinners, drinks and entertainment and line up while staff scanned boarding cards to verify every person on board, the Daily Mail reported. The search did not find her.
Source: Cruise Hive, reporting the Daily Mail and Tui
Last seen Monday afternoon; captain confirmed her still missing on Wednesday
The woman was last seen late on Monday afternoon — the US Coast Guard alert put the time at 4:46pm UTC on November 9 and broadcast her last known position as 28°16.7′N, 038°09.2′W. The ship's captain announced on Wednesday evening, November 11, that she was still considered missing, and security footage from the ship is being reviewed for clues. Her identity has not been released, and it has NOT been confirmed that she went overboard.
Source: US Coast Guard RCC Norfolk alert, reported by SSB Crack
Because nobody knows exactly when she disappeared, the ship could not turn back and search: by the time the alarm was raised it had already travelled 477 nautical miles from the point where she was last seen. It is understood the US Coast Guard asked the ship to continue its crossing rather than reverse course, and its Rescue Coordination Center in Norfolk, Virginia, has issued an alert calling on any ships nearby to “keep a sharp look out” for the woman. The BBC said it has contacted the US Coast Guard for comment.
Source: BBC News
What Tui and the Foreign Office say
A spokeswoman for Marella Cruises said the company was “deeply saddened” by the disappearance, adding: “Our thoughts are with the guest's loved ones at this very difficult time. We're supporting the authorities with their enquiries, and out of respect for the guest and their family, we won't be commenting further at this stage.” A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British national reported missing on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean and we are in touch with the relevant authorities.” Tui told the Daily Mail that nothing suggests the weather played a part in the disappearance — the crossing had rough weather at the start, which caused significant seasickness among guests and crew, but conditions have since cleared.
Source: BBC News
What is solid
- The 72-year-old British passenger was last seen aboard Marella Voyager on Monday, November 9
- Her unslept-in bed triggered the alarm on Tuesday; a full ship search and an emergency headcount did not find her
- The US Coast Guard's Norfolk centre broadcast her last known position and asked nearby ships to keep a sharp lookout
- The UK Foreign Office is supporting her family; Marella Cruises says it is supporting the authorities' enquiries
What is only claimed
- Whether the woman went overboard — this has NOT been confirmed by Tui, the Coast Guard or any official source
- When and how she disappeared — the exact time is unknown, which is why the ship, 477 nautical miles away by the time of the alarm, could not return to search
- Whether the rough weather early in the crossing played any part — Tui says nothing suggests it did
The voyage, and what happens next
The Marella Voyager, carrying around 2,000 passengers and 800 crew, left Malaga on Wednesday, November 4, on an 11-night repositioning crossing. It is due to arrive in Antigua on Friday, November 13, call at Dominica on Saturday and finish in Barbados on Sunday, November 15, before spending the winter on Caribbean itineraries and returning to Europe in May 2027. What happens next rests on the review of the ship's security footage, any sighting reported to the Coast Guard's Norfolk centre by ships crossing the same stretch of the Atlantic, and the enquiries the authorities are making with Tui's support.