A passenger who jumped overboard as an MSC Cruises ship sailed between Madagascar and Mauritius on December 31, 2019, was found and rescued after spending nearly an hour floating in the Indian Ocean.
The accident on the MSC Orchestra occurred early on Tuesday.
According to Ross Volk, MD of MSC Cruises South Africa, the ship’s security protocols had been immediately activated. He added the man had "apparently jumped of his own free will."
A team of crew members had been deployed to conduct the search and rescue operation. Within less than 1 hour, the rescue team of the MSC Orchestra had managed to successfully salvage the man. The passenger had been brought back on board and taken to the vessel’s medical centre where he had received further care.
Fortunately, the man had sustained minor injuries. According to the ship operators the passenger’s health status had been monitored closely.
The accident did not affect the schedule of MSC Orchestra or cruise operations and the ship continues on her course to Mauritius. MSC Orchestra is on a 15-day, one-way sailing from Durban to Cape Town.
For other MSC Orchestra accidents and incidents see at the ship's CruiseMinus page.