A shocking incident took place onboard Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas on the evening of Thursday, July 24, 2025, when a male crew member stabbed a female colleague and later died after jumping into the ocean.

According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the incident happened shortly before 7:30 p.m. while the ship was sailing off the coast of San Salvador Island in the Bahamas.

A 35-year-old South African male crew member allegedly stabbed a 28-year-old South African female crew member multiple times in her upper body. After the attack, he reportedly fled and jumped overboard.

Initial media reports had wrongly claimed that a crew member had simply “fallen” off the ship. However, police later clarified that it was not an accidental fall but a result of the violent incident onboard.

Passengers who witnessed the incident said that crewmembers threw life rings into the water to mark the location after the man jumped. Since Icon of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship, it took some time for it to slow down and turn around, even though it was cruising at a relatively low speed after spending a day at sea. The ship was on its way to Royal Caribbean’s private island, CocoCay, for a scheduled stop the next day.

The ship’s crew quickly launched a high-speed rescue boat to search for the man. He was found in the water unconscious and brought back to the vessel. Despite rescue efforts, onboard medical staff pronounced him dead after his recovery. According to Royal Caribbean, the man was “recovered” but could not be saved.

The female victim received immediate medical attention onboard and was later confirmed to be in stable condition. Police said she had suffered multiple stab wounds but was treated and is recovering.

Royal Caribbean International released a statement confirming that the incident involved “a personal dispute between two crew members.” The onboard security team responded quickly, and no passengers were harmed or put at risk.

The cruise line added that “one of the crew members was injured, was attended to by the onboard medical team, and she is now in stable condition.” It also confirmed the death of the male crew member after the overboard incident.

Cruise tracking data shows that Icon of the Seas remained on schedule. The ship reached CocoCay on time on Friday, July 25, and is expected to return to PortMiami on Saturday, July 26, to complete its 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary. The ship will then depart on its next scheduled 7-night Western Caribbean cruise.

Passengers onboard reported that many were unaware of the incident until much later, as it was not announced publicly. Some videos later shared with media showed crewmembers rushing after hearing the code “Oscar Oscar Oscar,” which is the standard man overboard alert.

Police have scheduled an autopsy to determine the exact cause of the male crew member’s death, including any possible contributing factors.

Royal Caribbean expressed condolences to the family of the deceased crew member and said it would not share further details to respect the privacy of those involved.

References: CruiseHive, nypost

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