On Sunday, a crew member from a Norwegian cruise ship fell overboard off the coast of Massachusetts, prompting an extensive search and rescue mission.
Footage from security cameras captured the moment the unidentified worker descended from the Norwegian Breakaway into the icy waters approximately 12 miles from Cape Cod.
The Norwegian Breakaway, capable of accommodating about 4,000 passengers, was on its way back to Boston following a week-long cruise to Bermuda when the incident occurred shortly after 1:15 a.m., according to CBS News, citing the US Coast Guard.
Passenger Rebecca Durandisse from Needham, Massachusetts, expressed her distress to CBS News, saying, “It’s very heartbreaking. [Sunday] morning they ended up saying that someone went over, a crew went over the ledge.”
She continued, “I was in my estate room, lying in bed. I was drifting off to sleep when I noticed a light go on that woke me up, because I had my window open. And then I heard some loud noises.”
Despite issuing a ship-wide man overboard alert and deploying lifeboats, the crew member was not located by emergency services.
The US Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England dispatched a search helicopter along with a team from Coast Guard Station Provincetown.
Later on Sunday, another helicopter was launched, but the search was suspended just after noon, pending new information, as reported by the Coast Guard.
The Norwegian Breakaway arrived at Boston’s Black Falcon Terminal just before noon on Sunday, with passengers receiving a letter explaining the delay in their arrival.
The letter stated, “Overnight and into the early morning hours, the ship remained engaged in search and rescue efforts following a man overboard situation, working closely with maritime authorities.”
It continued, “These efforts required the vessel’s full attention before the voyage could safely resume toward Boston. Situations such as these are never easy, and the safety and well-being of those at sea remain at the heart of every decision we make.”
