Do Cruise Ships Stop For Man Overboard?

A Carnival cruiser fell off a ship over Thanksgiving 2022, making headlines when he was rescued after spending close to 20 hours in the Gulf of Mexico. Overboards are particularly grim when the ship is in distress. Most cruise ships do not have specific man-overboard sensors, but they are becoming more common. 30 cruise ships owned by Carnival and Disney have been fitted with V-MOB sensors.

When a passenger goes overboard on a cruise ship, the crew will activate a button that pinpoints the place where the person went into the water. The ship will then stop and turn back to that area, performing a lengthy search and rescue operation. If a passenger falls overboard, the crew will immediately sound an alarm and initiate a man overboard procedure. Once crew members learn of a person going overboard, they immediately inform the Coast Guard, stop the ship, and turn around to help find the passenger.

Cruise ships are built to the highest possible safety standards, and railings are designed to prevent people from going overboard. However, it is not easy to stop the boat immediately, very near the casualty. People fall off cruise ships with alarming regularity, and all ships have safety barriers that are in place. If a guest falls overboard, the cruise ship will stop and return to the location of the accident to look for the passenger.