The new year began on a sad note for guests aboard Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam after a passenger was reported to have gone overboard. The incident occurred during the early morning hours of January 1, 2026, while the cruise ship was sailing near the coast of Cuba.
The overboard incident has prompted an ongoing search and rescue operation by the ship’s crew, in coordination with the United States Coast Guard. Passengers aboard Nieuw Statendam reported that the ship abruptly reversed course to begin searching along its earlier route.
According to CruiseMapper, Nieuw Statendam is currently sailing just north of eastern Cuba and near the southern Bahamas. More specifically, the Holland America vessel shows a current location just south of Great Inagua Island and north of Baracoa.
Passengers aboard Nieuw Statendam reported emergency announcements beginning around 4:30 A.M. Originally, passengers say the captain informed guests that a woman was missing and asked her to report to Guest Services. Later, the captain confirmed that the passenger was no longer onboard and that a search operation was underway.
CruiseMapper data shows Nieuw Statendam indeed reversed direction and began sailing a deliberate zig-zag and looping pattern, repeatedly crossing portions of its earlier route.
One guest aboard the sailing shared their experience on the Holland America Line Passenger Forum Facebook page:
“We are currently on board. Announcement made ship wide that woke us all up by captain about a missing woman to come to guest services immediately about 4:30 A.M. Had a really bad feeling and hard to go back to sleep after that."
"[At] 8:00 A.M, [the] captain announced after a thorough ship search that it was determined she is no longer on the ship and they had turned around at 5:00 A.M for a parallel search. Coast guard ships and helicopters assisting and visible. We are zigzagging through the waters now. Very sad. Can’t imagine what her family is going through on board now,” continued the passenger.
In addition, Holland America confirmed the overboard incident in a publicly released statement:
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that while sailing in waters north of Cuba, a guest on Nieuw Statendam went overboard earlier today,” the cruise line said. “The captain and crew initiated search and rescue procedures and are searching the area working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, which has deployed a cutter and helicopter to assist.”
According to the cruise line, a review of the ship’s security footage indicates that the incident appears to have been a deliberate act.
“A review of closed-circuit cameras shows the guest alone on the ship’s third deck appearing to go overboard intentionally,” the statement continued.
The cruise line has not released any details about the guest’s name, gender, or age. Typically, cruise lines withhold these details to protect the guest’s privacy, particularly while an active search is ongoing and family members are being notified.
Holland America Line confirmed that its family assistance team is providing support to the guest’s loved ones. “Our thoughts are with the guest’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the cruise line said.
The overboard incident occurred while the ship was sailing between the Dominican Republic and its next port of call, Key West (Florida), on January 2, 2026. According to the vessel's original itinerary, Nieuw Statendam is scheduled to return to Port Everglades, Florida on January 3, 2026.
Further itinerary changes are unknown at this time
Nieuw Statendam is currently sailing a 14-night, round-trip Western and Eastern Caribbean holiday cruise. The voyage departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on December 20, 2025.
The port-intensive sailing included visits to Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, followed by visits to Ocho Rios (Jamaica), George Town (Grand Cayman), and Cozumel (Mexico).
After returning briefly to Fort Lauderdale on December 27, 2025, the ship resumed its itinerary with a second visit to Half Moon Cay. The vessel also visited Grand Turk (Turks and Caicos) on December 30, 2025, and Amber Cove (Dominican Republic) on December 31, 2025.
At the time of publication, it’s unclear if Nieuw Statendam will have any further impacts to the remainder of the itinerary. The ship was originally scheduled to have a sea day on January 1, 2026 when the overboard incident occurred.
Depending on how long search efforts continue before the vessel is released by authorities, the ship's visit to Key West could be adjusted. Nieuw Statendam is scheduled to return to her homeport of Fort Lauderdale for debarkation on January 3, 2026.
Overboard incidents are very rare
Although they are exceptionally rare, overboard incidents do occur across the cruise industry. In recent months, an elderly British guest went overboard from Marella Explorer 2 in the Canary Islands, and another passenger died after jumping from Disney Wonder near Tasmania.
According to a Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) analysis covering a 10-year period from 2009 to 2019, there were 212 reported overboard cases worldwide, involving both passengers and crew.
More importantly, CLIA notes that overboard incidents declined by more than 50% during that studied period, despite the continued growth in global cruise passenger volumes. The data also shows that the majority of cases involved passengers, while only one-third involved crew members.
Unfortunately, survival rates following an overboard incident are very low, especially in open ocean conditions and during nighttime hours.
Based on CLIA’s findings, less than 30% of overboard guests are successfully rescued. In addition, CLIA further reports that most overboard incidents are usually the result of intentional actions. However, CLIA states that not every overboard case can be conclusively explained.
About Nieuw Statendam
Nieuw Statendam is a Pinnacle-class cruise ship operated by Holland America Line that debuted in 2018. The cruise ship measures 99,863 gross tons and accommodates just over 2,600 passengers at capacity. In addition, Nieuw Statendam has around 1,000 crew members aboard the vessel.
Designed for longer itineraries and destination-focused cruises, Nieuw Statendam regularly sails in the Caribbean and Europe. The cruise ship is currently homeported in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for her winter season, offering round-trip itineraries to the Caribbean.
In April 2026, Nieuw Statendam will reposition to Europe until November 2026 for port-intensive itineraries from Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Dover, England.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising, and adventure. She's sailed on 50+ cruises and visited more than 60 countries. Hubers even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
She has contributed her travel and cruise expertise to numerous publications, including Business Insider, US News & World Report, and Travel Lemming. Hubers earned her MBA in Data Analytics and works as a senior strategy analyst.
