Body found of woman missing off Port Canaveral-based cruise ship

The body of a woman who went missing from a cruise ship that sails out of Port Canaveral has been found, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

In a post to its twitter account, the Coast Guard said it had recovered the 36-year-old woman’s body about 18 miles offshore from the port on Thursday morning after she gone overboard from the MSC Meraviglia, one of the largest cruise ships in the world.

“The cause of the incident is under investigation,” the post stated.

“Early this morning, MSC Meraviglia’s advanced detection systems alerted our crew to a passenger overboard while the ship was sailing to Port Canaveral,” reads a statement released by MSC Cruises. “The crew performed an immediate search and rescue operation, alongside the U.S. Coast Guard who supported search efforts with boats and a helicopter.”

“Unfortunately, despite the rapid rescue operation, the passenger sustained fatal injuries,” the statement continued. “We are offering our full support to authorities as they investigate this matter. We are deeply saddened by this incident and offer our sincerest condolences to the family and those affected.”

The ship was headed back from the Bahamas to Port Canaveral and is approaching the port this morning. The ship has a 5,655-passenger capacity based on double occupancy.

MSC sent messages to passengers on the next cruise set to depart Port Canaveral today that boarding would be delayed about five hours.

This marks at least the 13th incident worldwide with crew or passengers going overboard a cruise ship in 2022, according to data posted to website cruisejunkie.com. The most recent involved a 28-year-old man who survived nearly 20 hours in the Gulf of Mexico after going overboard off a Carnival Cruise Line ship sailing out of New Orleans before being rescued by the Coast Guard on Thanksgiving day.

The site notes 374 incidents from 1995-2021 with 77 during that span occurring on Carnival Cruise Line ships followed by 55 on Royal Caribbean, 29 on Norwegian Cruise Line and 24 on Princess Cruises. MSC Cruises is listed as having 17 during that span.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.