A 66-year-old woman went overboard from a cruise ship late Tuesday night, and it's being reported she jumped.
Search efforts were made quickly to try to find the woman who was sailing on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas.
TMZ reports that the, "woman jumped from the 14th floor of the cruise ship."
Both the U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Bahamas Defense Force conducted searches, along with Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
Search efforts proved unsuccessful and the operation was called off on Wednesday.
The woman went overboard at 9:40 PM on Tuesday.
Earlier, Royal Caribbean issued a statement, "Our crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort and is working with local authorities. We are also providing support and assistance to the guest's family during this difficult time. To respect the privacy of our guest’s family, we have no additional details to share."
Jump, not fall
A representative for the Royal Bahamas Defense Force made the distinction that the woman jumped from the ship, which is important understanding what happened.
News of someone going overboard into the ocean is enough to scare a lot of people that are unaware of how safe cruise ships really are.
Unfortunately, media reports tend to use the word "fall" to describe the action, which conjures up imagery of a passenger minding their own business when they fall unexpectedly over the side of a cruise ship.
"I'll stress that people don't just fall over the side," said Brian Salerno, senior vice president of global maritime policy at Cruise Lines International Association (now retired).
"There are railings and they're pretty high. It's almost always the result of an intentional act."
Cruise ships have railings that are around chest height to ensure passenger safety and to prevent someone from slipping and falling overboard.
The situation is either the result of someone intentionally jumping, or being somewhere they shouldn't be and then falling. As an example, climbing on the railing or standing on a deck chair.
Royal Caribbean's guest-conduct policy says, "Sitting, standing, laying or climbing on, over or across any exterior or interior railings or other protective barriers, or tampering with ship's equipment, facilities or systems designed for guest safety is not permitted."
Breaking the rules can result in being kicked off the ship at the next port.
In past similar incidents, guests have not only been kicked off the ship but also banned for life from the cruise line.
A woman that stood on her balcony railing in 2019 was banned for life.
What happens when someone is overboard?
As is the case with the incident this week on Spectrum of the Seas, the first thing the ship's crew will do is attempt to ascertain when the man overboard situation occurred.
The ship will also contact local authorities to help conduct a search.
In the United States, the Coast Guard is contact, but since this occurred in Asia, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Singapore was the agency Royal Caribbean contacted to assist in the search.
The ship and local authorities will attempt to search an area based on where the person likely hit the water, and where they are likely to be.
