Key Aspects:
- A 72-year-old British woman is missing from Marella Voyager during the ship’s transatlantic crossing from Malaga to Barbados.
- The woman was last seen late on Monday afternoon, November 9, but has not been confirmed as overboard from the cruise ship.
- A guest headcount was conducted onboard and security footage is being reviewed for further clues about the woman’s disappearance.
An urgent onboard search is underway for a 72-year-old female guest believed missing from Marella Voyager. The Daily Mail reports the British woman was last seen late Monday afternoon, November 9, and may have fallen overboard.
The alarm was raised when a stateroom attendant noticed Tuesday evening that the woman’s bed had not been slept in on Monday night. At that time, multiple requests were made onboard for a female guest to report to the ship’s reception desk. An immediate headcount at assigned muster stations was organized in an attempt to locate the woman, but was unsuccessful.
The ship’s captain announced on Wednesday evening, November 11, that the woman was still considered missing.
Security footage is being reviewed in the hopes that a further clue to the woman’s disappearance may be revealed. The woman’s identity has not been released.
Because the exact time of the woman’s disappearance is not yet known, Marella Voyager has not initiated a search at sea. According to an alert issued by the U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center in Norfolk, Virginia, the ship had traveled 477 nautical miles (549 miles) from its location when the woman was last seen by the time the alarm was raised and could not return over such a large distance.
When an overboard is not confirmed, search efforts would need to cover an extremely broad area, which is not always a practical situation. Any vessels near the area where the woman was last seen are urged to stay watchful.
Marella Voyager is on an 11-night repositioning transatlantic cruise from Malaga to Barbados, where she will spend the winter offering Caribbean itineraries before returning to Europe in May 2027. The ship departed on Wednesday, November 4, and is currently en route to Antigua. There have been no port visits since the ship left Malaga.
Cruise Hive has reached out to Marella Cruises (which is owned by TUI Group) as well as the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office for statements but has not heard back as of press time.
Storms Have Made for a Rough Voyage
Marella Voyager has had a rough start to this particular crossing. Poor weather at the beginning of the sailing caused significant seasickness onboard for both guests and crew members, though the weather has since cleared as the ship has sailed west.
It is not believed that weather is a factor in the woman’s disappearance, which TUI Cruises stated to the Daily Mail.
Guests onboard the ship have also reported one ambulance evacuation before the ship ever departed Malaga, as well as two medical evacuations via helicopter.
The 1,912-guest ship is scheduled to arrive in Antigua for a port visit on Friday, November 13, followed by a visit to Dominica on Saturday, November 14, before debarkation in Barbados on Sunday, November 15.
This is a developing story and will be updated if further information is confirmed.
