A weekend cruise from England to Belgium took a tragic turn after a 60-year-old man died aboard MSC Cruises’ MSC Virtuosa.
Just two and a half hours after departing from Southampton on England’s southern coast for Bruges on May 3, 2025, via the English Channel, a fight occurred aboard the 4,842-passenger ship, leaving one guest dead.
“The ship left Southampton at 6 p.m. on Saturday 3 May. It was reported that at around 8:30 pm, a 60-year-old man died following an altercation,” said Hampshire and Isle of Wight police. “His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.”
Details on what happened are vague and remain under investigation, but the ship remained on course and visited Bruges on May 4 before returning to Southampton on May 5, where police met the ship at the docks.
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MSC Cruises confirmed an incident took place without providing further details.
“Following an incident onboard our ship, the relevant authorities were contacted, and we are cooperating fully with their investigations,” a spokesperson for MSC Cruises told Cruise Hive.
“We are providing full support to those impacted,” the spokesperson added.
As the vessel was still in British waters, police from Hampshire and Isle of Wight, England, were called to the scene and arrested another MSC Cruises passenger on suspicion of murder.
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The 57-year-old guest from Exeter remains in police custody and a full investigation of the incident is underway.
“This appears to be an isolated incident on board, and we want to thank the crew for their cooperation and assistance with our inquiries,” said Detective Chief Inspector Matt Gillooly, the senior investigating officer.
Passengers who may have witnessed the incident or who may have any information that can assist the police in the case have been asked to contact Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
Party Ship Gone Awry
The Daily Mail has reported that passenger who died following the altercation was from Sussex and that his family members met MSC Virtuosa in Southampton, demanding the release of his body.
Social media posts from aboard the ship indicate the incident was not made public, with many sharing happy photos and calling the weekend sailing a fantastic voyage.
Still, others noted that the weekend journey was filled with stag and hen parties, drinks, and arrests.
Said one passenger aboard the ship, “It’s a booze cruise. I’m on one now with my daughter and it’s full of stag, hens, and birthdays. There are children there and they are well catered for, it’s just busy, loud, and long queues.”
“And lots arrested apparently,” added another.
One more guest reported there was a “very drunk, violent man screaming and shouting at staff who were trying to calm him down.”
Ironically, the 181,541-gross-ton MSC Virtuosa was used as a setting for the British crime drama series, “The Good Ship Murder,” which starred Shane Ward and Catherine Tyldesley and was filmed onboard in 2024.
The luxury cruise ship debuted in Southampton in May 2021 and was the first large passenger ship to offer post-pandemic voyages.
MSC Virtuosa departs on a 5-night roundtrip cruise on May 5, 2025, that includes another call to Bruges, as well Rotterdam (Amsterdam) and Cherbourg, France.
Throughout the summer, MSC Virtuosa will sail several 7-night roundtrip Northern Europe itineraries that will vary from visiting ports in four ports in Norway and the Shetland Isles to those in France, Spain and Portugal, including Lisbon.
Longer voyages later in the summer will travel to the Canary Islands and into the Mediterranean.
