Cruise Ship Murder Suspect Released on Bail After Death of 60-Year-Old amid 'Altercation': Police

A 60-year-old man died while onboard the MSC Virtuosa on Saturday, May 3

MSC Virtuosa, a 181,541 GT Meraviglia-Plus-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises
MSC Virtuosa in Portugal in June 2024. Credit :

Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty

A man who was arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a fellow passenger on a cruise has been released on bail.

According to a police statement obtained by PEOPLE, the 57-year-old from Devon, England, was released on bail on Tuesday, May 6, after Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary arrested him following a fatal altercation on a cruise ship.

“We are investigating the death of a 60-year-old man from West Sussex on board the MSC Virtuosa, which happened around 8.30pm on Saturday (May 3),” the release read. “As part of our enquiries, a 57-year-old man from Exeter was arrested at Southampton Docks, but he has now been released on bail while our enquiries continue.”

They added, “We remain keen to hear from anyone who was on board the boat and may have information which could assist our enquiries.”

"Anyone who has any information relating to an altercation between two men, in particular anyone who witnessed anything, should call 101, quoting the reference 44250193676,” authorities concluded.

MSC Virtuosa, a 181,541 GT Meraviglia-Plus-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises
MSC Virtuosa in Portugal in April 2025.

Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty

The Guardian previously reported, citing police, that a 60-year-old man had died following an altercation on the ship and a 57-year-old man from Exeter has been arrested on suspicion of murder and was in custody,

According to the BBC, the incident took place two and a half hours after the cruise ship, MSC Virtuosa, departed from Southampton on Saturday.

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Sky News reported that the victim was a member of a bachelor party onboard the ship.

According to the outlet, the cruise ship returned to the British port on Monday, May 5, after spending two nights in Bruges, Belgium.

 Passengers are seen standing on the upper decks as MSC Virtuosa, a 181,541 GT Meraviglia-Plus-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises
MSC Virtuosa in Portugal in April 2025.

Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty

In a statement to PEOPLE, MSC Cruises shared, “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 and thoughts are with the family and friends at this difficult time.”

According to the MSC Cruises website, the MSC Virtuosa has a 6,334-guest capacity. It also has 2,421 cabins and 1,704 crew members.

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