Eleven "man overboard" incidents have been recorded on cruise ships so far this year, according to media monitoring site Cruise Junkie. This figure includes both passengers and crew members who have fallen overboard.
The latest incident involved a 56-year-old male passenger who reportedly jumped overboard from the Carnival Panorama ship on Saturday, 19 September, off Mexico's Baja Peninsula. This occurred during the final leg of a seven-night cruise.
Other high-profile cases in 2026 include a 77-year-old woman who went overboard from Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam on New Year’s Day during a Caribbean cruise. The search for her was abandoned after eight hours.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) data indicates that from 2009 to 2025, "man overboard" incidents declined to an average of fewer than one report for every 3 million passengers carried. Andy Harmer, director of CLIA, stated that a cruise holiday is "one of the safest forms of travel."
If someone falls overboard, the procedure on most ships involves shouting "man overboard" to alert crew members. Rescue boats are deployed, the coastguard is contacted, and nearby ships are notified. However, CLIA data from 2009 to 2019 shows that only 48 out of 212 incidents, or 28.2%, ended in a successful rescue.