Passenger Rescued After Going Overboard on Norwegian Ship

A passenger sailing on Norwegian Epic was rescued after going overboard on Tuesday night. 

The cruise line confirmed that a female guest went over the rail and into the ocean as the ship sailed near the Bahamas. Rescue crews immediately lowered and boarded a lifeboat to look for her in the darkness using searchlights. Incredibly, they found her shortly after, eliciting cheers across the ship. 

Another guest onboard, Kareen Kennedy, shared the captain’s rescue announcement to the ship with Florida Today, “They found the person in the water, and she was picked up and she's now in the hospital. So everything is good there...We will soon be on our way up to Port Canaveral. We have to retrieve our tender boat that did the rescue operation, and then we will be on our way shortly.”

Once back onboard, the rescued passenger was evaluated in Epic’s medical facility, and was found to be in stable condition. When the ship returned to Port Canaveral on Wednesday, EMS was waiting to transfer her to the hospital. In a statement, Norwegian Cruise Line said “We are thankful that our team reacted quickly and was able to rescue the guest. Our thoughts and prayers are with the guest and their family, as they embark on the recovery process and our CARE team is providing support and assistance during this time.”

The four-day Bahamas cruise was scheduled to stop at Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, but wasn’t able to visit either destination because of unusually high seas.