Key Aspects:
- Jason Watford has been identified by local media as the man arrested in Galveston on Monday, November 9, 2026, following a suspected homicide onboard MSC Seascape.
- The suspect has not been officially named and no details on the nature of the incident have been released, pending notification of the victim’s family.
- MSC Seascape has departed Galveston to continue the 7-night cruise and no port visits are expected to be impacted by the delay.
A 48-year-old man from Tyler, Texas has been arrested and is currently on a federal hold in the Galveston County Jail in connection with a suspected homicide aboard MSC Seascape, according to KLTV 7 News.
Jason Watford was arrested when the 5,877-guest cruise ship was ordered back to the Port of Galveston after its Sunday, November 8 departure following a report of an incident onboard.
FBI Houston confirmed that an individual was taken into custody, but no further details have been released at this time.
“An individual has been taken into custody in connection with the alleged homicide aboard the MSC Seascape. The individual’s identity is being withheld pending notification of the victim’s family,” FBI Houston posted on X at 6 p.m. Monday.
“This remains an ongoing investigation and no additional information is available for release at this time.”
The FBI is coordinating investigative efforts between multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Port of Galveston Police Department, Customs and Border Protection, and MSC Cruises.
MSC Cruises confirmed in a statement to Cruise Hive that the ship had been ordered back to the port and the cruise line is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
“On reporting a guest incident aboard our ship, we were instructed by the authorities to return to the Port of Galveston. We are cooperating fully with the investigation and providing support to those impacted,” the statement said.
The nature of the suspected homicide has not been disclosed. Unconfirmed reports from guests onboard the ship have been posted to Reddit, with the most prevalent explanation being a fight or domestic dispute that turned violent in a stateroom on Deck 10, leading to one individual’s death.
No details have been released about the manner of death, including whether any homicide may have been deliberate or accidental.
MSC Seascape Continues Cruise, No Ports Impacted
After returning to Galveston for several hours, MSC Seascape departed at roughly noon on Monday and continued on her sailing, a 7-night itinerary with visits planned for Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel before the ship will return to Galveston for debarkation on Sunday, November 15.
Because the port visit to Costa Maya was not scheduled until Wednesday, November 11 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the ship is able to make up time from the unexpected delay and her arrival in Mexico should not be impacted.
Cruise Hive’s ship tracker shows MSC Seascape now in the Gulf of America and en route to Costa Maya, moving at 20 knots (23 miles per hour), which is close to the ship’s top cruising speed. While her estimated time of arrival is now listed at 2 p.m., that may yet be updated as the ship gets closer to Mexico.
Guests onboard report that public address announcements have confirmed the ship will make up the time and no port visits will be impacted.
