The Norwegian Breakaway departure scheduled for the morning of Sunday, April 26, was delayed several hours by the aftermath of a crew member going overboard.

Norwegian Confirms Incident Details

In a statement to Cruise Radio, Norwegian Cruise Line sad that “late in the evening of April 25, 2026, a crew member went overboard east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Upon confirming the incident, the vessel immediately informed the United States Coast Guard Marine Rescue Coordination Center and a coordinated search and rescue operation was initiated.”

According to Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England, a Coast Guard helicopter arrived on scene just after 1 a.m., and crews from the Coast Guard’s Provincetown station also responded to assist.

Passenger video showed two rescue boats searching the waters near the ship. Guests onboard reported a “Code Oscar, port side” announcement shortly after midnight, and portions of Decks 7 and 8 were closed during the operation.

After several hours of searching, Norwegian Breakaway resumed course toward Boston.

How The Next Voyage Was Impacted

Guests and travel agents received notice of the incident, including details as to the necessary changes made to their departure schedule as a result.

“Today’s embarkation… will take place later than originally scheduled,” read the notification. “Overnight and into the early morning hours, the ship remained engaged in search-and-rescue efforts following a man overboard situation, working closely with maritime authorities.”

It went on to say that, “These efforts required the vessels full attention before the voyage could safely resume toward Boston. Situations such as these are never easy, and the safety and well being of those at sea remain at the heart of every decision we make.” 

Ultimately, Norwegian had to move the embarkation time back several hours, asking that guests not arrive at the terminal before 2 p.m. in order to allow time for disembarkation and preparation for the next voyage. “We understand that changes to your arrival plans may be inconvenient and truly appreciate your patience and understanding.

The ship was originally scheduled to dock by 8 a.m. but arrived around 11:30 a.m.

Norwegian Breakaway carries 3,963 passengers at double occupancy. The ship’s next sailing is also a 7-night Bermuda cruise, and no itinerary changes have been announced at this time.

Second Man Overboard in a Week

The incident comes one week after a passenger went overboard from Carnival Splendor off the coast of Brisbane, Australia, in a separate and unrelated incident. That search was suspended after 16 hours.

This is the sixth man overboard of 2026, following 12 man overboard events in 2025.