Passengers sailing on Norwegian Spirit not only witnessed, but captured on video, the horrifying moment when a man goes overboard from the cruise ship.
According to the New York Post, the Norwegian Spirit was en route to Taiwan on August 8, 2024 when the man went overboard in the shocking incident. Fellow passenger, Kenji Lao Wang, was filming his family overlooking the ship’s balcony when the man can be seen plummeting to the ocean. Kenji shared his family’s experience in a YouTube video, commenting, “Everyone was scared."
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(Image is taken from Kinji's video, which was shared on YouTube. We have not included footage of the man falling)
The chilling video, which is now circulating on social media, shows the family taking photos of the view when a man falling enters the upper left corner of the video frame. In a split second, the man is seen going overboard from the Norwegian Spirit, falling towards the sea.
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In the video, the family is stunned as they hear a loud splash. Other guests onboard can also be heard screaming in horror. Passengers are then shown scrambling to alert the ship’s security team about the man going overboard. Crew members are also seen in the video running to assist during the harrowing incident.
"I was really scared at the moment. I didn’t even know what I was taking. I just wanted to fully record the situation that happened at that moment," stated Kenji in the comment section of his YouTube video.
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One witness reportedly shared, “We were sightseeing on the deck at that time, just looking at the sea, and then we heard a huge noise. Everyone looked towards us and someone realized that a passenger had fallen into the sea.”
Kenji continued to document the aftermath of the scary incident, including the crew members acting quickly in response to the man going overboard. In his YouTube video, Kenji shows the launched lifeboats searching for the man in the ocean. The water appears to be quite calm with few waves and clear weather, likely aiding in the recovery efforts.
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Passengers and crew members can also be seen gathering on the ship’s deck to watch the lifeboat recovery in Kenji’s video. “Everyone was on the boat watching the lifeboats,” said another passenger onboard Norwegian Spirit at the time of the incident, according to The Sun.
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The New York Post states the vessel stopped for 40 minutes before locating the body of the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim has been identified as a 30-year-old Taiwanese man, although further details have not been released at this time.
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Authorities have only released the overboard passenger’s last name, which is Li. The overboard passenger was supposedly alone at the time of the incident, although he boarded the cruise in Taiwan with his brother, according to The Sun.
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Based on local news reports, Norwegian Spirit was sailing on a chartered 6-day cruise from Taiwan with stops in Nagasaki, Japan and Juju Island, South Korea. The ship was at sea when the man went overboard as it was returning to Taiwan at the end of the cruise.
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Moreover, the New York Post states that initial investigations are suggesting the man might have fallen overboard after losing his footing while on the top deck of the Norwegian Spirit; however, Norwegian Cruise Line has not confirmed the reason for the man going overboard. Reports also allege the incident happened around 11am during the sea day while sailing from Juju Island in South Korea.
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According to LADbible, Norwegian Cruise Line shared the following official statement about the incident: "On the morning of Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, we were notified that a 30-year-old male guest went overboard while the ship was sailing from Jeju Island, South Korea to Keelung, Taiwan.”
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"The onboard team took immediate action to recover the guest. Upon quickly reaching him, life saving measures were taken once onboard the ship, but unfortunately, he did not survive.”
Additionally, Norwegian Cruise Line stated the family of the victim has been notified and are being attended to during the difficult situation. “We are assisting them with the appropriate after life arrangements. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this tragic time.”
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Norwegian Cruise Line states they are working closely with the appropriate authorities and a full investigation is underway following the incident.
Overboard incidents on cruise ships are extremely rare and finding passengers at sea is even more difficult. According to a report by Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), guests that go overboard on a cruise ship are unlikely to be found. Of the 212 incidents between 2009 and 2019, CLIA reports that only 28.2% of individuals that went overboard were recovered.
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The Norwegian Spirit, which is the oldest in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet, was originally built in 1999 and received a $100 million refurbishment in 2020. The ship is currently sailing around Asia with a homeport of Taiwan.
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The ship is on the smaller side by today's standards, measuring 75,904 gross tons with 13 decks and the capacity to hold 2,032 passengers. Currently, Norwegian Spirit is being chartered as part of a long-term agreement between Norwegian Cruise Line and Taiwan-based tour operator Lion Travel. The ship is offering short sailings from Taiwan between June 2024 and September 2024 under the contract.
