A crew member went overboard from Sun Princess en route to Istanbul, Princess Cruises confirmed.
According to a letter shared on Reddit, passengers received confirmation that a crew member went overboard on Wednesday, August 20. The ship was traveling through the Dardanelles Strait to Istanbul, Turkey, after calling at Chania, Greece.
"We are deeply saddened to confirm that a crew member was reported to have gone overboard on Wednesday while en route to Istanbul, as verified through a review of CCTV footage," the letter reads.
(Credit: Admirable-Cut-2115/Reddit)
"The ship's crew immediately initiated our emergency procedures and worked in coordination with multiple maritime search and rescue authorities for several hours."
Unfortunately, the crew member was not located. As a result, the ship was directed to an anchorage position off Tekirdağ to continue its ongoing coordination with local authorities and will miss its scheduled visit to Mykonos. The ship will stay in Istanbul longer than planned, too.
"We expect to be alongside at 2:00 PM today and we ask that all guests be back on board tonight by 11:30 p.m. Our arrival to Athens on Saturday, August 23, remains unchanged," the letter continues.
Princess Cruises will automatically refund all shore excursions booked for Mykonos to guests' shipboard folios.
Sun Princess is currently on a 14-day one-way cruise from Barcelona, Spain, to Athens (Piraeus), Greece.
The ship previously called at Gibraltar, United Kingdom; Marseille, France; Genoa, Italy; La Spezia, Italy; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Naples, Italy; and Chania, Greece.
To protect the individual's privacy, Princess didn't confirm the name or position of the crew member.
They are also providing counseling to guests on board. Passengers who have been affected can call 1-877-841-1080 or 1-262-574-2528, and Princess will arrange for them to meet with a specially trained counselor.
This marks the first time someone went overboard from Sun Princess, which entered service in 2024. Sun Princess is Princess Cruises' newest and biggest ship, measuring over 177,000 gross registered tons (GRT).
"We want to assure you that the safety and well-being of our guests and crew members remains our highest priority," the letter adds.
"The Princess Assistance Team will be working with the crew member's family to support them at this difficult time...We appreciate your support and patience during this time, and all of us on Sun Princess remain at your service."
The incident happened less than one month after a crew member jumped into the ocean after stabbing a fellow coworker
Last month, a 35-year-old Royal Caribbean crew member died by suicide after jumping off of Icon of the Seas, one of the world's largest cruise ships.
He jumped into the Atlantic Ocean after attacking and stabbing a female coworker, who sustained multiple stab wounds to her upper body. Thankfully, she survived the assault and was treated for her injuries.
Although Royal Caribbean quickly located the individual, the crew member, who supposedly worked at the Schooner Bar, succumbed to their injuries and passed away. The incident happened shortly before 7:30PM on Thursday, July 25.
Read more: Crew member jumps overboard after viciously stabbing another employee, dies by suicide
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
