Sapphire Princess Recovers Five Bodies in Mediterranean
The discovery underscores how commercial ships remain part of the Mediterranean’s safety net, where routine voyages can suddenly become search-and-rescue missions.
Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess recovered five deceased people from the Mediterranean on April 21 after diverting from its route between Sardinia and Cartagena, Spain, to investigate an orange inflatable life jacket in the water. Princess Cruises said the individuals were not guests or crew members, and the ship coordinated the recovery with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center.
The incident interrupted a 14-night voyage from Civitavecchia, Italy, to Copenhagen, Denmark, but did not delay the ship’s scheduled call in Cartagena. Marine tracking data showed Sapphire Princess turning back and spending nearly three hours in a search pattern before resuming the itinerary.
Search operation off Spain
A crew member spotted the life jacket while the ship was at sea en route to Cartagena. Sapphire Princess altered course and launched its Fast Rescue Boat after reaching the area, where crew members first recovered one body and later found four more nearby.
Passengers said announcements on board escalated from the initial sighting to a man-overboard alert as the search continued. The ship was roughly between the Spanish coast and North Africa during the operation, and one account placed it about 140 miles off Cabo de Palos in southeastern Spain.
“We extend our sincere condolences for this loss and are grateful to our crew for their swift response and efforts to render assistance,” Princess Cruises said.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, a shore-based authority responsible for coordinating search-and-rescue activity in its assigned region, advised the ship during the response. Cruise ships are required under international maritime obligations to assist vessels or people in distress at sea when able to do so.
Voyage continued to Cartagena
Sapphire Princess had departed Civitavecchia on April 19 and was operating a two-week repositioning voyage scheduled to end in Copenhagen on May 3. The ship had already called in Sardinia before sailing toward Cartagena, its next port.
More than 3,000 passengers were on board during the voyage, and counseling was offered to guests after the recovery operation.
The bodies were removed after the ship reached Cartagena. Authorities had not released the identities of the deceased or the circumstances of their deaths, and officials had not confirmed whether the case was connected to a migrant vessel.
Spanish authorities are examining a possible connection to a small boat found empty and adrift off Cartagena earlier in the week. Autopsies are to be carried out at the Institute of Legal Medicine as investigators work to establish who the five people were and how they died.
