When a passenger disappears, the cruise line and its security personnel may initially control much of the information concerning the incident.

An independent investigation can help determine what evidence exists and whether the available evidence supports the cruise line’s explanation of what happened.

Our attorneys may investigate evidence including:

Surveillance Video

Cruise ships have extensive surveillance systems. Video may help establish a passenger’s last known location, movements, interactions with other people, and the circumstances surrounding an apparent overboard event.

Federal law requires covered passenger vessels to maintain video surveillance systems for certain purposes and contains specific requirements concerning preservation of video records. The law also addresses technology for capturing images or detecting passengers who have fallen overboard, to the extent such technology is available.

Ship and Security Records

Records created during the voyage may help establish what the cruise line knew and when it knew it.

Depending on the circumstances, relevant evidence may include ship logs, security reports, incident reports, emergency records, and other documentation concerning the passenger’s disappearance.

Keycard and Access Records

Electronic records may help establish when a passenger entered or exited certain areas of the vessel or accessed a stateroom.

These records can sometimes help investigators reconstruct a passenger’s movements.

Witness Statements

Passengers and crew members may have seen or interacted with the missing passenger shortly before the disappearance.

Identifying witnesses and determining what they observed can be an important part of reconstructing what happened.

Communications and Emergency Response

The investigation may also examine communications among the crew, the bridge, security personnel, the cruise line’s shoreside personnel, and government authorities.

The timing of those communications can help establish when the cruise line became aware of the situation and how it responded.

Conditions on the Ship

Depending on the circumstances, an investigation may also examine lighting, railings, barriers, maintenance, warnings, alcohol service, security procedures, and other conditions that may have contributed to an overboard incident.

Not every passenger disappearance is caused by negligence. The facts of each case must be carefully investigated.

Preserving Evidence After a Passenger Disappears

One of the reasons families should consider contacting a maritime attorney promptly is the importance of identifying and preserving evidence.

Cruise lines possess information that may be critical to understanding what happened. A family generally does not have the same access to the vessel’s surveillance system, security records, ship logs, internal reports, or other evidence.

An attorney can take steps to identify relevant evidence and pursue its preservation.

This can be especially important when the circumstances surrounding the disappearance are disputed or unclear.

The goal is not simply to determine whether someone went overboard. It is to understand how, when, where, and why the person disappeared, and whether the cruise line or another party may have contributed to the incident.