Did Norwegian Handle the Jennifer Seitz Accident Properly?

It seems that there is a growing sentiment among now disembarked passengers from the Norwegian Pearl that the cruise line mishandled the incident. Some of the biggest questions about the incident were:

Why didn’t officers from the Norwegian Pearl inform passengers of the incident?

I may just be guessing here but 99.9% of cruise ship passengers lack the necessary training to be of use in this form of search. The only thing that would have come from alerting three thousand passengers of an incident they could do nothing about would be mass confusion. In all likelihood as soon as any announcement was made the crew would become inundated with questions and false reports of suspicious activity that would have brought the investigation to a screeching halt

Why is it that the ship never turned around to help in the search?

The last time Jennifer Seitz was seen was approximately 8 p.m. Thursday night. Jennifer Seitz was reported missing approximately 4 a.m. the following morning. At that point in time, there was absolutely nothing to be gained from turning a ship around. The Norwegian Pearl would have had to travel an additional 8 hours to backtrack to the place they had been moving away from for 8 hours.

Was the investigation of the incident comprehensive enough?

It has been reported on other sites that there was a report of arguing and possible violence coming from room 11122 (the room Jennifer Seitz was staying in). The person making the statement then goes on to say how the ship’s security did nothing. Others say there was no comprehensive search. My question is how do you know security did nothing about the incident. In matters such as these, it is doubtful the ship’s security officers would give a progress report to those reporting the incident. Furthermore it should not surprise anyone when a law enforcement official gives a “no comment” when asked about details of an ongoing investigation. The truth is no one outside of the investigation knows if the ship’s security or the F.B.I. did their jobs or not.

Personally I have no idea if there was a better way that Norwegian could have dealt with this situation.  While it is true that the crew is trained on handling matters such as these, once the actual situation arises it is a completely different ball game.  We can all sit here and criticize all we want but unfortunately the truth is there was no other way for Norwegian Cruise Lines to handle the Jennifer Seitz.

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The FBI Joins the Search for Jennifer Seitz

Packed with a fresh load of passengers today those on the Norwegian Pearl are enjoying a calm day at sea. Meanwhile Mexican authorities still have not found the body of Jennifer Seitz. It seems that the U.S. Coast Guard no longer has ships actively searching for Mrs. Seitz but are still working with the Mexican authorities to coordinate the efforts. While it is still possible that Jennifer Seitz could be found alive, those hopes are steadily fading. The Norwegian Pearls surveillance footage show a woman in a robe going overboard from a camera on the ship shows a woman falling overboard about 8:08 p.m. on Dec. 26, U. S. Coast Guard officials said today. In the warm waters of warm waters off the coast of Cancun, Mexico hypothermia is not much of a concern but remember the search had to be called off Friday night because of rough seas.

Just as many of us had anticipated it seems that the FBI have joined the investigation in order to determine whether or not a crime was committed. It has been reported that FBI agents have interviewed other Norwegian Pearl passengers and searched the cabin that was occupied by Jennifer Seitz and her husband when the ship docked in Miami.

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The Search for Norwegian Pearl Passenger Jennifer Seitz

This passenger in the story was originally reported by the authorities as being Mrs. Jennifer Feitz.  Since then the US Coast Guard has identified the woman as Jennifer Seitz.  Here is a copy of the correction from the Department of Homeland security and the United States Coast Guard, followed by the original story with corrected name.

News Release Date:
Dec. 27, 2008

Contact:
Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Ameen
786-367-7649

***Corrected Copy*** Coast Guard searching for missing cruise ship passenger
MIAMI — The search continues Saturday for a missing passenger from the cruise ship Norwegian Pearl about 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico.

Initial reports incorrectly named the passenger as Jennifer Feitz. She has been properly identified as Jennifer Seitz, 36, hometown unknown.

The Coast Guard is coordinating the search and rescue mission with the Mexican navy. Coast Guard aircrews from Miami and Clearwater, Fla., have searched more than 2,500 square miles for Seitz.

Seitz’s husband reported her missing to cruise ship security personnel around 3:50 a.m. Friday. Cruise ship personnel conducted a comprehensive search of the ship with negative results and contacted the Coast Guard for assistance.

###

Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790.

The United States Coast Guard — Proud History. Powerful Future.

Last Sunday the Norwegian Pearl left from Miami for a seven-day western Caribbean cruise. The ship’s itinerary included an 8am to 5pm port call in Cozumel Thursday, Christmas Day. At approximately 3:40 a.m. on Friday 36 year old, Jennifer Seitz was reported missing.

A spokeswoman for the Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement. “Initial reports indicate the guest may have gone overboard while the ship was at sea, east of Cancun.” Initially the ships personnel searched for the missing passenger but l were unable to locate Mrs. Seitz. That is when the Coast Guard was called.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican authorities were searching the waters off the Yucatan Coast approximately 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico on Friday for the 36 year old woman. However because of rough waters and adverse conditions, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search late Friday night. A coast guard spokesman stated that search operations would resume Saturday.

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