MSC Cruise Ship Ordered Back to Texas with Report of Suspected Homicide

Florida-based MSC Cruises confirmed that its cruise ship MSC Seascape had been ordered to briefly return to its homeport late on Sunday night after reports of an incident aboard. The ship had departed Galveston Sunday afternoon on a week-long cruise to Mexico.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that it was aboard the MSC Seascape investigating “a possible homicide.” It said the ship returned to its homeport of Galveston, Texas, early on Monday, November 9, and that the agency was working with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Port of Galveston Police Department, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the cruise line on the incident. Because it was an ongoing incident, it said no further details would be released.

Unconfirmed reports on social media suggested there had been some form of an altercation on the cruise ship on Sunday evening. Some reports are saying one of the passengers, possibly a female, hit her head. Some of the unconfirmed reports on social media said that they had seen someone being escorted off the cruise ship in Galveston in handcuffs.

The 170,412-gross ton cruise ship departed Galveston on Sunday afternoon but was ordered back to Galveston after reporting the incident. Reports say the ship had been underway for about six hours when it reversed course.

This story was originally published by The Maritime Executive. Read the full story at The Maritime Executive →