Search Suspended for Passenger Who Went Overboard on Carnival Splendor

An elderly passenger went overboard from the Carnival Splendor while the ship was off the coast of Brisbane, Australia in the early hours of April 18, 2026. The subsequent search and rescue operation led by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) was unsuccessful and the man is presumably dead.

At 1:44 a.m. a man overboard alert was made over the ship’s PA system. The Carnival Splendor changed course by 1:55 a.m based on the ship’s tracking data. Several sites report that the man’s family reported him missing to the ship’s crew but it is unclear if this was before or after the man overboard alert was made.

Carnival told 9News CCTV footage showed that the man climbed over the safety railing and jumped overboard from the ship.

The Carnival Splendor and the AMSA searched for the man for over 16 hours before the operation was suspended at roughly 5:30pm. An AMSA spokesperson said, “Following an intensive air and sea search involving multiple assets, the missing person was not located and AMSA has now released all assets from tasking.”

The Carnival Splendor, like all Carnival ships, does not have a man overboard system. Man overboard systems can save lives by immediately alerting the ship’s captain when someone goes overboard.

Source: https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2026/04/articles/search-rescue/search-suspended-for-passenger-who-went-overboard-on-carnival-splendor/

Massive search underway for a man who jumped off a Carnival cruise ship just hours after a fellow passenger died

The search for a passenger who is believed to have jumped off a cruise ship in waters off Queensland has been suspended.

Emergency crews scoured the waters after the man in his 70s, who was on board a Carnival Splendor cruise, reportedly plunged into the ocean, 30km northeast of Moreton Island, near Brisbane, on Friday night.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) handled the operation with assistance from Queensland Police, with the search involving five rescue helicopters, six surface vessels and Challenger jets.

After a day of searching the area, however, AMSA confirmed the rescue mission had been suspended at 5.30pm on Saturday.

‘Following an intensive air and sea search involving multiple assets, the missing person was not located and AMSA has now released all assets from tasking,’ a spokesperson said.

The cruise line assisted authorities during the search and a spokesperson said in a statement the man is understood to have ‘climbed over the safety railing and jumped overboard’.

‘The male guest was travelling with family who alerted the ship’s crew of a possible missing person, and a review of the CCTV footage confirmed the guest’s action,’ a Carnival Cruise Line spokeswoman said.

‘All appropriate authorities have been alerted and Carnival will assist authorities in their investigation upon the ship’s return to Sydney.

A desperate rescue operation is currently underway after a man jumped overboard and into the waters off the Carnival Splendor cruise ship on Friday

‘Carnival’s Care Team is supporting the guest’s family and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved one.’

The rescue operation came just hours after a Tasmanian woman, 67, from the same ship drowned during a stopover near the shipwrecks at Moreton Island.

The woman had been snorkelling when she ran into trouble and, despite efforts by an off-duty lifesaver who pulled her to shore, she died at the scene.

A report is now being prepared for the coroner.

The two incidents are not believed to be related.

Daily Mail contacted Carnival Splendor for further comment.

The two incidents are not believed to be related

Source: https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2026/04/articles/search-rescue/search-suspended-for-passenger-who-went-overboard-on-carnival-splendor/