• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Doctor who has lived on cruise ships for 20 years explains what happens when someone dies at sea

Home> Lifestyle> Travel

Updated 11:25 21 Jan 2025 GMTPublished 11:17 21 Jan 2025 GMT

Doctor who has lived on cruise ships for 20 years explains what happens when someone dies at sea

Sadly people do die when on a cruise ship holiday

Tom Earnshaw

Tom Earnshaw

A doctor who has worked on cruise ships for 20 years has revealed what happens when a passenger or crew member dies while on the open seas.

Going on holiday is something we all look forward to. From a week by the beach and pool on an all inclusive to a quick weekend city break and everything in between, getting away is a great way to escape the pressures of modern life and reality as we know it.

For many, that means packing a bag and getting on a cruise ship.

Advert

The massive billion dollar vessels are loved by millions every single year. But as with any holiday, people tragically lose their lives while enjoying some down time.

Obviously there is a big question here. Given the ship could be in the middle of, say, the Atlantic Ocean, what happens when someone dies?

Being a cruise ship doctor

Dr Aleksandar Durovic has worked, and lived, on cruise ships for two decades due to his profession.

Life on the ships is very different to dry land, according to the man himself who spoke to CNN Travel about all things cruise ships.

Advert

"It’s a job full of stress and responsibility. The medical side can be very demanding," Dr Durovic said.

"Most of what we do on big cruise ships is emergency services, like in an ER. But we are also general practitioners for crew, and take care of chronic medical needs."

Most cruise ships have morgues (Getty Stock Image)
Most cruise ships have morgues (Getty Stock Image)

What happens when someone dies on a cruise ship?

Most cruise ships - and ships in general - are now built to have a place for dead bodies in the instance of someone passing away while at sea.

Advert

The first thing that happens on a cruise ship is that the medical team will inform the captain about the death.

On top of this, medical teams on dry land will also be told about what has happened on the cruise ship. For companies that have set sail from the USA, with many travelling from and to Miami, this will be the US Coastguard as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dr Durovic explained: "They decide what to do. Sometimes medical examiners will come onboard, and take the body for an autopsy. It depends case by case."

The body is usually taken off of the cruise ship at its next port of call (Getty Stock Image)
The body is usually taken off of the cruise ship at its next port of call (Getty Stock Image)

Is there police involvement? And what happens to the body?

Usually that is the case, yes. After someone dies on a cruise ship, police will often come on board at the next port of all to interview the doctors who dealt with the deceased person.

Advert

In Dr Durovic's experience, though, no death on a cruise ship has ever come with an element of suspicion.

The body is usually taken off of the cruise ship at the next port with rules saying a ship cannot set sail once moored with a corpse on board. From there, it is about the logistics of getting them back to where they call home, which can be stressful and expensive.

"Obviously the doctor pronounces the death, but for most medical teams, the person is given some respect. There’s a moment of silence before the body is prepared," the doctor said.

The welfare and wellbeing of relatives or loved ones of the deceased becomes the cruise ship's priority, with staff doing their best to help arrange flights home. For those staying, counselling might be available.

Featured Image Credit: Aleksander Durovic/Getty Stock Image

Topics: Cruise Ship, Health, World News, Travel, Holiday

Tom Earnshaw
Tom Earnshaw

Tom joined LADbible Group in 2024, currently working as SEO Lead across all brands including LADbible, UNILAD, SPORTbible, Tyla, UNILAD Tech, and GAMINGbible. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

X

@TREarnshaw

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 hours ago
12 hours ago
a day ago
  • 6 hours ago

    Holidaymakers issued warning over 'SEQ' code on boarding pass that can see you booted off flight

    The 'SEQ' boarding pass code could mean bad news for your flight

    Lifestyle
  • 12 hours ago

    Expert reveals how cruise ship team deal with crime while on international waters with no police around

    Cruise ships have their own rules and regulations that allow them to deal with rowdy passengers on board

    Lifestyle
  • 12 hours ago

    Dangers of MDMA after parents issue stark warning to others following death of son, 18, on lads' holiday

    The teen fell ill on the first night of his first lads' trip

    Lifestyle
  • a day ago

    Woman who sold all her possessions to travel the world reveals harsh reality of lifestyle two years in

    It's not all fun and games for Shelly and her husband Shayne

    Lifestyle
  • Woman who works on ‘spicy’ cruise ships reveals exactly what happens in their ‘red rooms’
  • Woman dies after going overboard from cruise ship crossing the English Channel
  • Woman who works onboard 'spicy' cruises explains what it is really like on one
  • Woman, 52, who was 'told she looks sad all the time' now 'looks 20 years younger' after facelift