Key Aspects:
- A crew member has passed away following an accident on Sunday, October 26 aboard P&O Cruises’ Arvia.
- The nature of the accident has not been revealed but the cruise line has confirmed the death.
- Arvia remains fully operational and on her way to the Canary Islands on her current sailing.
Guests onboard P&O Cruises’ newest and largest vessel, Arvia, may notice a subdued mood among crew members over the next few days. The cruise line has confirmed the death of a crew member following an accident that occurred on Sunday, October 26, 2025.
The crew member’s name, nationality, and position onboard have not been released in order to safeguard the privacy of family members and friends at such a troubling time, but P&O Cruises is taking steps to help.
“We can confirm the death of a crewmember following an accident on board Arvia yesterday,” a P&O Cruises spokesperson said in a statement provided to Cruise Hive. “Our thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends both on board and at home and we are providing every possible support to them.”
The 185,600-gross-ton cruise ship departed Southampton, UK on Friday, October 24 for a 14-night sailing to Barbados to begin the winter Caribbean season. There have not yet been any ports of call on the voyage, but Arvia is scheduled to enjoy a day in Tenerife in the Canary Islands on Tuesday, October 28.
At the moment, that visit remains on schedule. Despite the somber circumstances, there is no anticipated change to the ship’s itinerary, which includes stops in St. Maarten (Tuesday, November 4), St. Kitts (Wednesday, November 5), and St. Lucia (Thursday, November 6) before arriving in Barbados on Friday, November 7.
Arvia can welcome as many as 6,685 guests and is also home to approximately 1,700 international crew members.
While the incident remains under investigation, the circumstances of the accident have not been revealed. This is standard procedure to ensure that all safety protocols are in place and being followed correctly, and that there is no foul play involved.
Depending on where the crew member worked, the accident could be industrial or mechanical in nature, as cruise ships are immense engineering constructs. It is also possible that the accident is simply a fluke, such as a slip-and-fall that might occur anywhere at any time.
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There is no impact to onboard operations and the ship’s systems and safety are not impacted in any way.
Crew Deaths Are Rare, But Do Happen
While overboard incidents happen occasionally with crew members as well as guests, accidents onboard cruise ships are even more uncommon but still happen. This is true with any workplace, where a wide range of accidents can be dangerous to workers.
Onboard Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam in March 2024, for example, a steam leak in an engineering space unfortunately claimed the lives of two crew members. The ship was docked at Half Moon Cay at the time and was slightly delayed in leaving the private island.
In December 2015, a grisly death was reported aboard Carnival Ecstasy when an electrician was killed while working on an elevator repair.
Crew members are also not exempt from natural deaths, even while at work. In May 2025, Captain Michele Bartolomei of the Diamond Princess had a sudden medical emergency and passed away while the ship was spending an overnight call in Keelung, Taiwan.
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In April 2024, Captain James MacDonald of Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas was medically evacuated from the ship in Cozumel, Mexico following a severe heart attack. He sadly passed away two weeks later.
Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with all the crew members of Arvia at this sad time, as well as all the extended family of P&O Cruises.
