A search is underway for a missing crew member who went overboard from a cruise ship in the Mediterranean on Monday morning.
A spokesperson for Viking Cruises confirmed that a crew member working aboard the Viking Star went overboard at 11:31 a.m. local time.
As per maritime protocol, the ship immediately initiated its emergency response and began a search operation with the Italian Coast Guard.
The 7-night cruise departed from Athens, Greece, on October 23, 2025. Roughly halfway through the weeklong journey, a "Code Oscar" announcement startled passengers over the public address system.
According to a Fox News report, another crew member was seen tossing a bright orange life preserver into the ocean before lowering a smaller life ring with an attached flare.
Cruise Mapper data confirms that the Viking Star began maneuvering in a circular pattern near the location of the incident, consistent with standard overboard search procedures.
The ship was en route to Palermo, Sicily, when the crew member went overboard. It has since been rerouted to Messina, with the Italian Coast Guard releasing the ship from its search efforts around 6:00 p.m. local time.
Viking Star is expected to arrive in Messina around 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28. No further changes to the itinerary have been announced. The ship will call at Naples, Italy, on Oct. 29, followed by Civitavecchia (Rome) for debarkation on the 30th.
One guest onboard shared that everyone on the ship is "praying." "A Crew member on our Viking Cruise ship has gone overboard, a frantic search has been effect for about 2hrs. Everyone is 'Praying,'" wrote James Eric Williams on Facebook.
A later video posted on his page showed an aircraft circling low above the ship. He captioned the 34-second clip, "Search and Rescue finally arrived...though we think it's hopeless."
Viking Cruises declined to provide further details about the crew member or the search option. Moreover, the Italian Coast Guard has yet to publicly respond.
What happens when someone goes overboard from a cruise ship?
Unfortunately, it's not impossible to go overboard from a cruise ship. Even if you've been lucky enough to never witness a frantic search and rescue mission, you have likely seen many news headlines about people going overboard.
The crew member from Viking Star is the latest such case. The incident prompted an immediate search and rescue effort by the ship’s crew and Italian Coast Guard.
But what else happens when someone goes overboard from a cruise ship? As soon as the ship's crew realizes that someone has gone overboard, they will broadcast a secret emergeny code. Although the exact terminology varies, it could be something like "Oscar, Oscar, Oscar" or "Mr. Mob."
This message lets other crew members spring into action and activate search and rescue protocols, which are highly coordinated endeavors and can involve many resources. In this case, Viking Cruises contacted the Italian Coast Guard for assistance.
Regardless of whether or not the individual is successfully rescued, an investigation will be launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the overboard incident.
According to a 2020 report from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), there were 212 man overboard incidents between 2009 and 2019. Of those incidents, however, only 48 were successfully rescued.
Read more: What happens when someone goes overboard on a cruise ship?
Last week, a man went overboard from a Norwegian ship but wasn't found
About halfway through Norwegian Jewel's transatlantic cruise from Spain to Florida, guests were awoken in the middle of the night to the cruise line's secret "man overboard" code word being broadcast into their cabins. Norwegian Cruise Line later confirmed that someone went overboard in a statement shared by Local 10:
"We are deeply saddened to confirm that on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, we were notified that a guest was reported to have gone overboard while the ship was sailing from Ponta Delgada, Portugal to Miami."
"The appropriate authorities were immediately notified, and an extensive search and rescue operation with multiple vessels was conducted. The search was unfortunately unsuccessful, and the ship was released by authorities to continue its voyage. Our team is attending to the guest’s loved ones during this very difficult time, and our thoughts and prayers are with them," the spokesperson added.
Read more: Man goes overboard on Norwegian Cruise Line ship headed for Miami; search called off
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. 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!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
