Guests currently onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas have reported a man overboard alert, and tracking data shows the ship had paused for search operations in the past few hours.
This story is developing and more details will be added when confirmed.
Overboard Reported From Quantum of the Seas
UPDATE: Local news reports confirm that it is a male Australian passenger who has gone overboard from Quantum of the Seas. For privacy, the passenger’s name has not been revealed. The US Coast Guard has dispatched a Hercules helicopter to assist in search efforts, and a call has also gone out to the US Navy for further assistance.
The “oscar oscar oscar” alert was called aboard Quantum of the Seas shortly before midnight, late in the night of Tuesday, April 25, 2023 (local time). This alert signifies a person has gone overboard the ship, and emergency procedures are activated for search and rescue.
The cruise ship slowed and returned to the area of the alert before lowering several boats to the water to search for the person. Tracking data shows Quantum of the Seas diverting from her planned route approximately 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) south of Hawaii.
Guests onboard have reported that several announcements were made for a passenger to call Guest Services, which is one of the first steps to attempt to locate a missing person suspected to have gone overboard.
There is no confirmation at this time, however, whether the individual involved is a passenger or a crew member, nor are there any details of the individual’s gender, age, or the circumstances of the possible overboard.
The ship has now resumed course for Kona, Hawaii at a speed of 19 knots (22 miles per hour / 35 kilometers per hour).
The Current Sailing
Quantum of the Seas is currently sailing a 16-night, one-way cruise from Brisbane to Honolulu. The ship left Australia on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 with two port visits in French Polynesia before enjoying six days at sea on the way to Kona, Hawaii, where she is expected to arrive on April 27. The ship will conclude the cruise in Honolulu on Friday, April 28.
The overboard alert occurred during the fifth day at sea between French Polynesia and Hawaii. Because of the isolation of the area, search efforts will undoubtedly be challenging, but the proper authorities will be alerted to the situation.
At this time, there is no expected delay to Quantum of the Seas‘ itinerary or her arrival in Hawaii, as it is easy for cruise ships to make up time during days at sea.
Cruise ships have a number of procedures to activate in case of an overboard alarm, including reviewing security footage onboard and passenger headcounts to attempt to verify whether or not someone is missing.
Quantum of the Seas is repositioning to Seattle for the Alaska sailing season. While the current cruise only takes the ship to Hawaii, the next sailing is a 10-night voyage from Honolulu to Vancouver, and from there the ship will sail a 7-night one-way trip to Seattle, visiting Alaska ports before settling in at her summer homeport.
From Seattle, the 168,666-gross ton cruise ship will offer 7-night roundtrip “Alaska Adventure” sailings through September, with each cruise calling on popular ports in the Last Frontier such as Sitka, Skagway, and Juneau. In early October, the ship will again reposition back to Brisbane for South Pacific and Australia sailings through the Southern Hemisphere summer.
Quantum of the Seas is the first of the Quantum-class of ships and joined Royal Caribbean in 2014. The ship can welcome 4,180 guests at double occupancy, or as many as 4,905 passengers when fully booked with all berths filled. Onboard, 1,500 international crew members provide excellent service.
Cruise Hive wishes all guests and crew aboard the ship well and hopes the overboard alert may be a false alarm or that the individual is found safely.
