A murder investigation is under way after a 60-year-old man died following an alleged altercation aboard MSC Virtuosa while the ship was sailing in British waters.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed that emergency services were contacted at approximately 20:30 BST on Saturday, 4th May 2025, shortly after the incident occurred on the popular cruise ship.
The vessel had departed Southampton at 18:00 that same evening for a short two-night roundtrip sailing to Bruges, Belgium.
A 57-year-old man from Exeter has since been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody while enquiries continue.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Gillooly, who is leading the investigation, said: “We want to reassure you that this appears to be an isolated incident on board, and we want to thank the crew for their cooperation and assistance with our inquiries.”
The police are urging any passengers or crew members who may have witnessed the incident or have relevant information to come forward and assist with the investigation.
The cruise ship returned to Southampton as scheduled at 6 am on Monday morning and remains docked while authorities carry out further investigations.
Cruise Line Responds to Tragic Incident
MSC Cruises released a statement confirming the incident and its full cooperation with authorities:
“Following an incident on board our ship, the relevant authorities were contacted and we are cooperating fully with their investigations… We are providing full support to those impacted.”
No further details regarding the nature of the altercation or the identity of the deceased have been released at this stage.
It is understood that passengers were made aware of the situation during disembarkation.
MSC Virtuosa, one of the cruise line’s flagship vessels, is a regular presence in the UK cruise market and has been offering short itineraries from Southampton throughout the spring.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
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