Tragic Incident: 27-Year-Old Man Dies on Cruise Ship in Singapore

SINGAPORE: A 27-year-old man died on board a cruise ship docked in Singapore waters on Jan 19. In response to queries from The Straits Times, the police said they received a call for assistance at Marina Bay Cruise Centre at about 6.35am. The man was found motionless on the ship, the police said, adding that he was pronounced dead at the scene by the in-house doctor. The police said they do not suspect foul play based on preliminary investigations, which are ongoing. It is unclear if the man was a Singaporean or a tourist. The cruise ship involved is believed to be Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, which was on a round-trip cruise to Penang, in Malaysia, from Jan 16 to 19. The cruise ship had arrived in Singapore at 6.30am, data from CruiseMapper showed. Ovation of the Seas has a total of 16 decks, of which 14 are accessible by guests, and more than 2,000 state rooms, according to information from a fact sheet published on Royal Caribbean’s website. It is one of three quantum-class ships under the Royal Caribbean banner and can carry more than 4,000 guests. Checks by ST on Jan 19 show that the next three-night cruise to Penang on Ovation of the Seas that is still available for booking is expected to set off on Jan 26. Lena Ong, who was on the cruise with her family, told ST they were supposed to disembark at 7.45am, but ended up leaving the ship only at 10am. The 57-year-old said there was an announcement made on board which said that passengers could not disembark as the port was busy. When asked if she was aware of what happened, Ong said she had no clue, adding that when they eventually left the ship, the process was “very smooth with no hiccups”. ST has contacted Royal Caribbean for more information. - The Straits Times/ANN