Does the cruise ship have a morgue?

Is there a morgue on the cruise ship?

Yes, there are morgues on most of the world’s largest cruise ships. The larger the vessel, the larger the capacity of the morgue. Vessels are also required to carry body bags.

The yacht morgues are stainless steel refrigerated rooms with racks where bodies are stored, either until the end of the voyage or until they can be taken down to the harbor and repatriated.

Morgues were placed on the lowest deck, often along what the crew called “I-95” – the long corridor that ran from one end of the ship to the other. It has storage for everything from food and wine to fresh flowers and miscellaneous ship equipment. (Don’t worry; morgues are kept away from food storage areas.)

What happens when someone dies on a cruise ship?

All shipping lines have procedures in place to handle the situation if someone dies while at sea. When it happened, ship officials immediately informed the shore authorities. Members of the medical team will evaluate, and the body will be moved to the morgue until further arrangements can be made.

The crew on board is equipped to assist the deceased’s companions with things like emotional support, notifying family members, and arranging for early boarding and repatriation.

Returning a body would be very expensive if the deceased did not live near where their body was removed from the vessel. The costs associated with it are the responsibility of the passenger or their family or other companions, and not of the route. (Note that some travel insurance policies offer coverage for it.)

How soon a body can be unloaded depends on a number of factors, including local regulations, the ship’s position on the voyage and where the ship is flagged. Generally, remains are removed from ships at the next major port of call, where the proper infrastructure is in place to handle them.

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