The US Coast Guard announced that its rescue crews are searching for a ‘MSC Seaside’ crewmember who fell overboard, approximately 8 nautical miles southeast of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The missing man is identified as 37-year-old Michael M. Majaba, of the Philippines.
Majaba reportedly went overboard from the seventh deck of the Maltese-flagged cruise ship at approximately 1 a.m. Wednesday. The cruise ship crew launched a search and contacted watchstanders at the USCG Sector San Juan Command Center at approximately 4 a.m. alerting them of the situation.
Watchstanders diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Confidence, launched a 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement boat from Coast Guard Boat Forces Detachment St. Thomas and a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen that are currently on scene searching.
The cruise ship continues to search on scene. The cruise ship was transiting from the Caribbean Island of St. Maarten to San Juan, Puerto Rico when the incident took place.
Man overboard issues continue to be alarming for the cruise industry, with 22 people on average falling off a cruise ship every year.
The MSC Seaside, the largest cruise ship ever built in Italy, was delivered by Fincantieri to MSC in November.