Norwegian Jewel declares emergency after report of person overboard

Passengers on the cruise ship Norwegian Jewel say the vessel declared an emergency early Wednesday after a person reportedly went overboard while en route from Barcelona to Miami. Holidaymakers aboard the ship said they were awakened at about 2 a.m. when an alarm announced "code Oscar starboard," a maritime alert indicating a person overboard, and later were told the ship was conducting search-and-rescue maneuvers in the Atlantic.

The Norwegian cruise liner departed Barcelona on October 15, 2025, on the transatlantic voyage. A British passenger who asked not to be named described waking to the announcement and seeking clarification. "I was asleep in the cabin. The captain put out an announcement code Oscar starboard. As it was transmitted into our rooms also. I thought it might be serious and googled it to find that Oscar means person overboard. We have just in the last 10 minutes had an announcement to confirm someone is overboard, and that is why we have been and still are circling," the passenger said.

Passengers reported that crew members communicated that the ship was in search-and-rescue mode and were maneuvering in the vicinity where the incident occurred. There has been...