Cruise Passenger Dies at Port of Civitavecchia After “Voluntary” Fall from 6,500-Passenger Ship

In what officials are calling a deliberate act, a 50-year-old German cruise passenger died last week after falling from the vessel Costa Smeralda while it was docked at Pier 12 in the Port of Civitavecchia.

Italian news sources, including RomaToday and TRC Giornale, reported that the incident happened around 2:00 p.m. on February 6, and the passenger plummeted from a height of about 30 meters (98 feet).

Emergency responders, including firefighters, were already on the scene from an unrelated incident that took place earlier at the Bonifazi station.

These responders were in the process of working on a helicopter landing to evacuate a different passenger who had gotten sick on board the ship.

But right after the man’s fall, onboard medical staff and emergency crew tried to resuscitate the man.  A doctor on the scene pronounced him dead shortly after.

The port police and Coast Guard conducted an investigation and classified the incident as a “voluntary gesture”, meaning the fall was likely deliberate.

Costa Cruises confirmed the death of the passenger and gave their sympathies to the family.

“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the death of a guest of German nationality that occurred today in the port of Civitavecchia. According to an initial reconstruction, the guest jumped voluntarily onto the wharf while the ship was in port for normal operations. The crew intervened immediately, activating all emergency procedures”, the cruise line said in a translated statement.

Costa Cruises is an Italian cruise line under the umbrella of Carnival Corp & plc.  Costa Smeralda is one of two Excellence-class ships with the cruise line.   It was built in 2019 and is the second largest ship to operate with Costa Cruises.

The vessel can accommodate 6,554 passengers at max capacity and 5,224 at double-capacity.

The ship was cleared to depart for its next scheduled stop in Palma de Mallorca by 8:30 PM that evening.