Cruise ships are known for their many amenities aimed at helping passengers make the most of their vacations. But cruise lines also have to be prepared for the worst.
In addition to onboard security and medical care, the vessels have facilities and protocols in case someone dies during a sailing.
“Given that there is such a high frequency of elderly passengers and the fact that cruise ships are basically floating cities it should come as little surprise that there are in fact morgues aboard most cruise ships,” said Michael Winkleman, a maritime attorney with Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A. But with the vessels spending much of their time at sea and traveling from country to country, the logistics are different than on land.
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Onboard morgues allow a ship’s crew to store bodies in the event of a death during a cruise, according to Winkleman. The facilities are refrigerated, stainless steel rooms accommodating between two and 10 bodies on the lowest deck of the vessels, The New York Times reported.
Cruise ships bound for a U.S. port must immediately report deaths to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention port health stations – previously called quarantine stations – in accordance with the health agency’s regulations, a spokesperson for Cruise Lines International Association told USA TODAY. The association is the…
