Readers Provide Information on Overboard Cruise Ship Passengers
In the last two weeks, there have been two overboard passengers from U.S.-based cruise ships - Costa's Serena and Holland America Line's Rotterdam.
These incidents have been reported - not by the cruise lines or the press - but by Canadian Professor and cruise expert Ross Klein who hosts the informative web site Cruise Junkie. Dr. Klein has been tracking passenger and crew overboards for the past decade.
Like Dr. Klein, we are increasingly being contacted by passengers, crew and other concerned individuals when things go wrong on cruise ships. Here is some updated information we received from our readers:
Passenger Overboard From Costa Serena
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In response to our article "Person Overboard from Costa Serena Cruise Ship?," one passenger confirmed that a 34 year old French passenger went missing at midnight on February 26th.
"The ship had to turn around the following day. But the ship and coast guard did not find the man. On that following night the ship was given the go ahead to return to original course. but at that time it was too late to visit the port of Cadiz."
Another passenger informed us:
"Yesterday we returned from the Costa Serena. The Captain had reported to all of us passengers that the missing man was a Frenchman of the surname Pascal, reported missing by his father who was also traveling on the Costa Serena. At the time he went missing the ship was traveling from Tenerife to Cadiz (our itinerary was changed from going to Madeira because of their disaster). Once Mr. Pascal was reported missing, the ship had turned round and for several hours searched in the area where he may have fallen overboard. Then we were told the search and rescue authorities were taking over and as it was too late for us to visit Cadiz, we were taken straight to our following destination, i.e. Malaga. We hope that you will be able to find more regarding the fate of the missing man and let us know."
Passenger Overboard From HAL's Rotterdam
In response to an article " Passenger Reported Overboard From Holland America's Rotterdam Cruise Ship," a United States Naval Aircrewman reported the following:
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"I was surprised that this report was not confirmed, and was hoping to help. I was aboard the aircraft referenced that arrived "onstation" to assist in the S.A.R. Operation, a United States Navy P-3C of Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron (VP)- 26.
We arrived on station after the victim had been in water for about an hour and a half, the delay largely attributed to communication delays, and the relay of the initiated SAR from ship, to shore, to our controller. WE initiated a search pattern that proved unsuccessful. At which point we adjusted our search to the estimated current drift. After several hours we searched our absolute min allowable "off-station" fuel load (required for the transit back to base) and at the last moment we located the SAR victim. Since we were bingo fuel all we could do was give a gps point and get back home. During SAR operations we prefer to maintain "eyes-on" to guide the pick-up vessel in.
I speak for my crew in saying we are grateful to know that at least he was picked up even though we could not affect a rescue. We offer our condolences to the family and relatives, and I hope you know that we did all that we could."
Thanks To Our Readers
Thank you to our readers who have expressed their concern for these passengers and their families and have taken the time to provide information regarding these sad cases.
A special thank you to our brave U.S. Coast Guard and Navy Airmen who put their lives on the line to search for and recover our loved ones at sea.
Credits:
Costa Serena CruiseAir's photostream
HAL's Rotterdam Cajun Bob's photostream
The web site stresses that this incident is not yet confirmed from the cruise line company but is based on the account from a passenger on board the ship.
CruiseJunkie.com is operated by Dr. Ross Klein, a cruise industry expert who has, among other pages, a large web page called ".jpg)
called the Coast Guard in Honolulu at 5 p.m. Saturday to report the missing crew member and to say the ship had turned around to look for him..jpg)
an "ugly story" - one "of pain" suffered by the Faliva family and "incompetence and laxity" by the police in Bermuda. 
Entitled "
It is now two months after the unexplained loss of young Mr. Faliva. His family continues to seek clues regarding what really happened to their son and brother.
passengers destroyed? Ms. Faliva apparently had an argument with another crew member earlier and a warning had been issued and then later rescinded. Did Mr. Faliva see something he should not have, such as drug smuggling - which we have written about: "
following the reported lack of cooperation from Princess Cruises and the Government of Bermuda..jpg)
The disturbing circumstances surrounding the "disappearance" of Princess crew member Angelo Faliva continue to fill the newspapers and television airways in Italy as the cruise line continues to keep the Faliva family in the dark. 
traveled from Italy to California - where Princess Cruises is based - to try and find information about her brother..jpg)
The India Times is continuing to follow the case of Neha Chhikara.
The tragedy of Neha Chhikara's disappearance from the Monarch of the Seas raises a lot of issues. 
damages even if they get sued for their malfeasance. Royal Caribbean's ultimate exposure to damages is limited by the 
We previously reported on this story - 
The Faliva family has expressed their frustration with Princess Cruises' lack of information, the attitude of the cruise ship's captain, and the cruise line's delay in cooperating with investigators following the "disappearance" of Angelo Faliva from the Coral Princess cruise ship on November 25th..jpg)
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Mr. Faliva apparently spoke with some passengers in the Sabatini restaurant on the cruise ship, and then left his station around 8:15 p.m. Yet, the cruise line delayed over 12 hours reporting him missing. This delayed the search conducted by the Colombian Navy until the afternoon of the following day. .jpg)
Mr. Faliva apparently had a prior incident of some type with another crewmember, who is identified as a "Filipino sous chef." Who is he? Has he been interviewed by the investigators?
share of overboards in the last few years. The cruise ship left Port Canaveral, Florida on Tuesday for the Bahamas and was scheduled to return to port on January 2, 2010.
of the passenger overboard could be determined.
The Italian family of crew member Angelo Faliva is continuing to search for answers to explain the circumstances regarding his disappearance from the Coral Princess, a cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises which is based in Santa Clarita, California.
Mr. Faliva's disappearances is a story that we will continue to watch and report on. 
flag of the vessel and primarily responsible for investigations, did not get involved until very late. 
Thirty-one-year-old Robert Mado was found 
what happened to their son and brother. .jpg)
In this case, Princess Cruises PR representative Julie Benson said that the cruise line's investigation allegedly did not reveal any information to explain the crew member's disappearance. The PR representative Benson tells the LA Times:
The AP article is entitled ".jpg)
never returned and hadn't been seen since.
"Obviously, we're very concerned," Princess' PR representative Julie Benson (left) said. "This is highly unusual and clearly we are concerned for his safety. It very well may be that he went overboard, but we don't know that for a fact.".jpg)
Italian restaurant "Sabatini's."
scene of the disappearance to the cruise lines, which are often motivated by their own legal interests and marketing image. 
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that a passenger may have jumped from the cruise ship on November 6th:.jpg)
There are no regulations which apply to foreign flagged cruise ships regarding this issue. They pretty much do whatever they want. What are Princess Cruises' polices and procedures? 
This announcement probably indicates that there is surveillance video of Ms. Edelgard which pinpoints the approximate time of her disappearance.
A 67-year-old passenger is the latest "disappearance" from a cruise ship. This case involves a U.S. citizen who sailed on Princess Cruises' cruise ship Sapphire Princess from Alaska en route to Vancouver. She has not been identified.
When 40 year old Boston resident Merrian Carver "disappeared" from the cruise ship Mercury operated by Royal Caribbean’s subsidiary brand Celebrity Cruises, the cruise line tried its best to cover the incident up. It didn’t report Merrian missing to either the FBI or the Alaskan State Troopers, even though the cabin attendant reported her missing early in the cruise. Merrian’s Dad, insurance executive Ken Carver, began a serious investigation. Royal Caribbean responded by lying to Mr. Carver and disposing of evidence. Mr. Carver didn’t go away and the story went public. The 
But when their frustration forced them to the press for answers, the cruise industry’s response was quick and brutal. Michael Crye, representing the International Council of Cruise Lines ( the predecessor to today’s Cruise Line International Association - "CLIA") told an AP reporter investigating the story " . . . its difficult if someone chooses to do harm to themselves . . ."
The recent disappearance of Washington resident Amber Malkuch shows that little has changed. Amber was 45 when she sailed on the Holland America Line ("HAL") cruise ship Zaandam. On August 3, 2009, Amber disappeared. The usual protocol when a passenger disappears should be for the FBI or the state law enforcement authorities to board the vessel at the next port and to conduct an investigation. The period of time leading up to the cruise ship's arrival at the next port is critical because the cruise line controls the scene of the disappearance, the witnesses and all of the evidence. Before the authorities can conclude whether the "disappearance" resulted from an accident (due to the ship's negligence, or the passenger's carelessness or intoxication, or a combination of factors), foul play or suicide, they must first review the evidence and interview passengers and crew members.
