MSC Rossella III finds overboard Odyssey of the Seas passenger after 20 hours

A woman who went overboard from Royal Caribbean International's cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas in the Ionian Sea was found alive after the crew of the containership MSC Rossella III spotted the flashing light of a lifering, the Hellenic Coast Guard said. She was reportedly in the water for up to 20 hours and was found conscious, with mild hypothermia.

The 44-year-old passenger from El Salvador appears to have gone over the side at about 06:00 on 9 October, when the Bahamas-flagged ship was about 72 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos on a passage from Mykonos to Naples. She had a life preserver from the ship; unconfirmed reports say she grabbed it before going overboard. The circumstances have not been reported, and passengers were told of the incident early on Saturday 10 October.

How was she found?

Odyssey of the Seas, a ship of 167,704 gt and 347 metres that carries about 4,200 passengers, turned back to search the area and cancelled her scheduled call at Naples. The Hellenic Coast Guard sent two patrol boats and a helicopter, the Hellenic Air Force sent an aircraft, and ships in the area were asked to keep watch.

Early on Saturday morning the crew of MSC Rossella III, a 2,700 TEU containership of 38,771 dwt on passage from Piraeus to Gioia Tauro in Italy, saw a flashing light on a lifering. Believing it could be the missing passenger, they alerted the coast guard at once. A coast guard patrol boat used the containership's information to find the woman, gave her first aid and took her ashore to hospital.

The reported timings are not fully consistent: a fall at about 06:00 on 9 October and a sighting early on 10 October would put her in the water for close to a day rather than 20 hours. Unconfirmed reports say she was travelling with family members.

This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 14 October 2026.