Death at Sea: What Happens When Someone Dies on a Ship or Cruise

The MPA told us there are processes in place when a vessel with a deceased person onboard comes into Singapore:

• ICA, NEA and the Police Coast Guard must be informed. The ship, through its master or agent, does this. • NEA and PCG investigate the death and then advise on the next course of action. • Only after that does the family hear what happens to the body: release for a funeral in Singapore, or arrangements to send the body on.

You do not need to contact these agencies yourself. What the family can do is stay in touch with the shipping company or its agent, who is the one dealing with them.

For a "cruise to nowhere", the same agencies are involved. If someone dies onboard, NEA and PCG are the agencies to liaise with. They investigate and then advise. The cruise ship's local agent coordinates with NEA and PCG and assists the ship to make the necessary arrangements for bringing the body ashore.

The process varies from country to country and from one shipping company to another. MPA's advice for deaths of Singaporeans, PRs and residents outside Singapore, not only onboard Singapore-registered ships, is:

• Approach the shipping company for information. • Reach out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or the relevant embassy for assistance. The MFA duty line is open 24 hours at [+65 6379 8800](tel:+6563798800) (WhatsApp-enabled).

See Who to contact if someone dies overseas for the full MFA steps and what MFA can and cannot do.

Burial of a body at sea is not permitted in Singapore waters, according to MPA. If a family wishes to lay someone to rest at sea in Singapore, the option is the scattering of cremated ashes. See Sea Burial in Singapore for how it works and the designated area.

MPA has no family contact point for these cases. The shipping company, the cruise operator or their shipping agent is the right point of contact for the landing of the deceased. If you are not sure who that is, the MFA duty line can point you the right way.