Frank Jade was a passenger on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Oasis of the Seas until Thursday morning when he said that a large wave knocked him off an open deck and into the sea, approximately eight miles from Cozumel, Mexico. Reportedly, no one saw him go overboard and no alarm was raised.
As if by magic, however, Jade was spotted by someone on a passing cruise ship, specifically the Disney Magic, which was on the same course as the Royal Caribbean ship. The Magic lowered a boat and picked up Jade. The ship docked at docked at Punta Langsota so Jade could be transferred to a private clinic for medical care. Frank Jade is said to be in stable condition without any serious injuries. Reportedly, no one on the Oasis of the Seas even realized that Jade was missing. Oasis of the Seas, with her near sister ship, Allure of the Seas, are the world’s largest crusie ships with a passenger capacity exceeding 6,000 and a crew of 2,400.
And, wonder of wonders, this is not the first time that a Disney ship has come to the rescue. In 2009, the Disney Wonder picked up a passenger who had apparently jumped from the Carnival Sensation in the Atlantic off the coast of south Florida.
Critics are complaining that Royal Caribbean has not installed automatic man overboard systems, as required by the 2010 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA.) The problem is that the US Coast Guard has not, so far, developed and issued the regulations as to what systems are required under the law. It is one thing to require an automated man overboard system and quite another to make one work.
Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing along the news.
I am not sure about regulations concerning missing passengers, but surely it should be common sense for floating towns carryng 6000+ passengers, to have a tolerance of 60 missing passengers before requiring action and/or reporting. Do they report the number of deaths occuring on each cruise through heart attacks, excessive boozing or norovirus infections?
There are requirements for reporting passenger sickness and loss. Years ago, I recall hearing a cruise ship captain say that they allotted a certain amount of freezer space for the bodies of heart attack victims.
I have been on many, many cruise ships over the past 45 years. The railings on open decks come up to my chin (I’m 5’4″ tall). Anyone would have a more than difficult time clambering over the rail….unless of course you were trying to take a “selfie” sitting up on the rail, goofing around or standing on one the chairs or chaise lounges to get a better look at the ocean. Believe it or not, I’ve seen adults do this. There’s always the story behind the story to consider.
You are right. The story doesn’t make sense. Adults are quite capable of doing very stupid things while on cruise ships.
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It looks to me that the man in the water is wearing a PFD. This story about the man being knocked overboard seems a little fishy to me.
Recall that in the late 1990s several people died aboard passenger ferries and cruise ship, emulating that “king of the world” scene from Cameron’s Titanic film.