Harmony of the Seas Crew Member, Waiting to be Repatriated, Dies

[R yeo]

Cruise ship’s crew member found hanging 

- by Emmanuel Joseph June 10, 2020 

Police were tonight probing the discovery of the body of a young woman, a crew member aboard a cruise ship docked at the Bridgetown Port An assistant waiter aboard the Harmony of the Seas, whose name was given as Maria Jocson, was found this afternoon hanging by a bedsheet from the balcony of her cabin, police said.

Acting Police Public Relations Officer Inspector Rodney Inniss said he was not in a position to report on her nationality, but gave her age as 28.

Investigations are continuing.

 

 

Harmony of the Seas Crew Member, Waiting to be Repatriated, Dies

By Jim Walker on June 9, 2020

POSTED IN MARITIME DEATH

A Royal Caribbean ship employee died earlier today on the Harmony of the Seas, according to several crew members who wish to remain anonymous.

Crew member Mariah Jocson, who was described as a “new hire,” was reportedly found in her cabin this afternoon. There was an “Alpha, Alpha, Alpha” medical emergency broadcast on the ship’s PA system.  Later, the captain publicly announced that the crew member had died. Her family reportedly have been notified. There was no official announcement or explanation regarding her cause of death.

She was from Mandaluyong, Philippines.

The Harmony of the Seas is currently in Barbados with around 2,000 crew members still aboard waiting to be returned home, including many crew members who transferred from the Vision of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas, and Rhapsody of the Seas. She reportedly previously was on the Rhapsody.

The Royal Caribbean “Crew Repatriation Weekly Update” dated June 5, 2020 lists over twenty flights from Barbados to the Philippines in the next three weeks through June 30th.

This has been a difficult six weeks for many crew members who have remained on cruise ships during the period of cruising suspension which is now approaching 90 days. In addition to this incident, there have been eight other crew members who reportedly ended their lives and one employee who attempted to do so since May 1st.

A week ago, a long term employee from the Philippines died suddenly on a Crystal Cruises ship. Two weeks ago, a Filipino crew member died on the Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady. Shortly before that, a crew member on the Vasco da Gamma cruise ship who reportedly jumped from deck 12 of the ship and landed on a cargo container located on the pier of the Tilbury Docks in the U.K. It was last reported that the Cruise and Maritime Voyages (CMV) ship employee is in the hospital in London. A Filipino galley employee on the AIDAblu also died. A Chinese crew member hired as an assistant waiter on the Mariner of the Seas  was found dead by his colleagues. Royal Caribbean stated that the crew member, a young man, reportedly died of “natural causes,” although it did not release an official cause of his death or provide any explanation. On that same day, a Ukranian waiter from the Regal Princess jumped overboard while the ship was in Rotterdam. The day before, an assistant shore excursion manager died on the Carnival Breeze which was sailing to the U.K. from Bahamian waters. A post mortem report by a pathologist states the preliminary cause of death as hanging, according to a publication in the U.K.  The first suicide involved a Polish electrician on the Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas jumped from the ship south of Athens around the first of last month.

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June 10, 2020 Update: A newspaper in Barbadosreports that the “Barbados police confirm they are treating the death as a suicide and identify the victim as a 28-year-old assistant waitress.”

June 11, 2020: Crew Center reported that there was a prayer tribute by crew members of the Harmony of the Seas Tuesday evening for Ms. Jocson (photo right) who was hired as a waiter.

Photo credit: Top – Harmony of the Seas – By kees torn – UNION BEAR, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons / wikimedia; middleHarmony of the Seas in Barbados – middle – Nation News by Shanice King; bottom – Mariah Jocson – Facebook via Crew Center.

[LeonCA]

Poor girl, 28 only.... May she Rest In Peace I just booked a Dec. East Caribbean sail on Harmony of Sea

[Cile]

It is very sad story. We  book New Year cruise with Harmony to. 

[PhillyLady]

My deepest sympathy.  The cruise line should provide mental health supports to all staff who are far from home, lonely, worried, without work or activities and potentially without pay or benefits.  These crew members are very young and I am so sorry they are in such despair that they take their own lives.  On my next cruise I will be thinking about the crew much more than ever, and observing how they are treated. It is our responsibility to speak up if we think that crew members are not treated appropriately.