Authorities in St Maarten launched a public appeal to help locate Ann Evans, a 55-year-old cruise passenger who did not return to her ship after going on a shore excursion earlier this week.
Evans was travelling aboard Holland America Line’s Rotterdam when she was reported missing during a port visit to the Caribbean island.
In a further update released by police, Evans has been found safe. Read on for more details.
Passenger Failed to Return From Shore Excursion
The ship, sailing a 12-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, arrived in St Maarten on Thursday, 20th November 2025.
According to police, Evans disembarked the ship at around 10 am as part of an organised tour.
She left the tour bus at a scheduled stop in Marigot, on the French side of the island, but did not return to the bus or make her way back to the ship later that day.
“Efforts to locate Ms Evans are ongoing, and law enforcement authorities on both the Dutch and French sides of the island have been alerted.”
St Maarten Police
Authorities Issue Public Appeal
Police have asked anyone who may have seen Evans or has information about her whereabouts to contact local authorities immediately.
They also issued a direct message to the missing passenger.
“If Ms Evans herself sees this message, she is kindly requested to contact her family, the Police Force of Sint Maarten, or the French Gendarmerie as soon as possible to confirm her safety,” the statement said.
Images of Evans have been shared across social media as part of the search effort.
In a later update, the St Maarten police said that they had reason to believe a woman matching Evans’ description, and carrying her passport, had checked into a hotel on the island.
However, when making this statement they were not able to confirm whether this is Evans, and put out a message asking her to reach out to both police and her family to confirm her safety.
In a further update on 28th November, the police confirmed that contact had been made and that the woman was the missing Ann Evans, and that she was safe. They said that no further public statement would be made.
Ship Continued Voyage as Scheduled
Despite the ongoing search, Rotterdam continued its cruise as planned and is due to return to Port Everglades on Friday, 28th November 2025.
The ship carries up to 2,668 guests at double occupancy, rising to over 4,000 passengers when fully booked.
It remains unclear whether Evans has any personal links to St Maarten or the wider region.
Comparisons With Previous Cruise Disappearances
The circumstances have drawn comparisons with other recent cruise-related disappearances where passengers failed to return from shore leave.
In some past cases, passengers later confirmed they were safe and had chosen not to re-join their cruise. However, at this time, authorities stress that nothing has been confirmed regarding Evans’ situation.
Police had said that the priority remained locating her and confirming her wellbeing.
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