Family Updates About Guest Overboard Royal Caribbean Ship

The family of a woman missing overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas in the Singapore Strait on July 31, 2023 has confirmed the woman’s passing via social media posts, and asks for privacy to mourn at this difficult time. The announcement came on August 1, which would have been the woman’s birthday.

Spectrum of the Seas Overboard Update

The son of a guest overboard from Spectrum of the Seas has confirmed that his mother has passed away. The 64-year-old female passenger, Reetha Sahani, was initially believed to have fallen or jumped overboard, and Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) were notified of the incident at 7:50 a.m. on Monday, July 31.

The woman’s family first notified the ship’s crew members, also noting that she was unable to swim and speculating that perhaps she was stuck somewhere on the ship.

Search operations were initiated and the onboard care team offered support to family members. Navigational safety warnings were also issued to other vessels in Singapore Strait to stay alert in case the missing woman would be spotted.

A review of onboard surveillance footage confirmed that the woman had gone overboard, and her son – who was not on the cruise but was in contact with officials during the investigation – announced her passing on Twitter after reviewing that footage.

Details as to how the family is able to confirm the woman’s passing from the surveillance footage are not available, nor have authorities issued any updated confirmation at this time.

The family has expressed gratitude toward various officials from India and Singapore for their assistance in achieving closure at this difficult time, and requests privacy as they mourn.

Spectrum of the Seas Sailing Again

The 169,379-gross ton Spectrum of the Seas was sailing a 4-night voyage at the time of the incident, but had already returned to Singapore when the alert was issued.

The ship is now on its next voyage, a 12-night cruise that departed on Monday, July 31, 2023 and will call on destinations in Vietnam, China, Taiwan, and Japan before arriving in Yokohama on Saturday, August 12. No delays or itinerary changes to the current sailing have been noted.

Spectrum of the Seas is a Quantum-ultra class vessel offering a range of roundtrip itineraries from Singapore, with occasional longer sailings to Yokohama.

Depending on the itinerary and departure date, port visits include amazing destinations in Thailand and Malaysia, as well as China, Vietnam, and Japan on longer sailings.

The ship can host 4,246 passengers at double occupancy, and as many as 4,905 travelers when fully booked with all berths filled.

Recent Overboards

There have been several notable overboard incidents in recent days.

Just days ago, a passenger went intentionally overboard from Carnival Elation while the ship was returning to Jacksonville, Florida, and in late June, a guest overboard from Mariner of the Seas was quickly rescued thanks to fast-acting crew members.

Unfortunately, incidents may be on the rise as guests act irresponsibly, such as sitting on ship railings or posing dangerously in an attempt to get that perfect selfie or viral video. It must be noted that all cruise lines strictly prohibit dangerous behavior.

Cruise Hive’s thoughts are with the families and friends of all guests involved in such tragic incidents, as well as with onboard crew members who must cope with these difficult situations.