When a guest lecturer on Swan Hellenic ship Minerva passed away in the night several years ago, you might have expected sympathy from the passengers. Instead, many were most put out that he was so inconsiderate, claiming over their cornflakes that they had only come on the cruise to hear him speak.

Not surprisingly, cruise lines are loath to talk about people dying on their ships, but it happens. There are an estimated 200 passenger deaths a year – actually remarkably few given the 21.7 million people worldwide that cruise each year.

That total excludes people who die going overboard. As it is almost impossible to fall from a cruise ship, it is usually passengers intent on suicide or as a result of alcohol-induced pranks.

A number of deaths on board are tragic accidents, and not just among the passengers. In December last year, one crew member and two contractors died when fire broke out on Oceania Cruises' ship Insignia. Five years ago, three crew members died when the then Costa Europa collided with a dock in Sharm el Sheikh.

In the past two years, two boys aged four and six-year-old have drowned in cruise ship pools, while in 2010 a 21-year-old ate a cookie and died from an allergic reaction to peanuts. Ten years ago, a 70-year-old man fell down a staircase in rough seas and died.

However, the majority of people die from age-related illnesses, which is no surprise given the average age of a British cruise passengers is 57, with 40 per cent aged 65 and over, according to industry figures.

Because they have the time and money, older people are likely to be on longer cruises of three or four months - or even more - so there is a greater chance they will die at sea.

In a high-profile case in 2013, 74-year-old journalist and broadcaster David Frost died from a heart attack on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth. He was on board to give a talk about his career.

Passengers do not share cruise lines’ reluctance to talk about death but instead have a morbid fascination about what happens if you peg out on a ship.

It all starts with an announcement. "Operation Bright Star" signals a medical emergency. "Operation Rising Star" means a passenger has passed away.

When that happens, the body is zipped into a body bag and placed in the ship’s morgue. Ocean-going ships are legally required to have both body bags and a morgue (they mostly have space for three or four bodies, but it depends on the size of the ship). The latter must be kept away from the food storage areas. Very occasionally, the morgue might not be big enough - a Columbia News Service report from 2007 quotes Ross A. Klein, a sociologist from Toronto and author of "Cruise Ship Blues: The Underside of the Cruise Ship Industry." On one cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Lisbon "the morgue was filled, and they had to start finding other places to put the bodies," he said.

According to one cruise line, some ports insist bodies are off-loaded as soon as possible – this is done discreetly using an exit away from the passenger gangway. A death certificate is then issued and the body repatriated to its home country.



"Operation Rising Star" means a passenger has passed away (Photo: Alamy)

All costs are the responsibility of the deceased person’s family but should be covered by travel insurance as long as death was not caused by an on-going medical condition that was not declared.

Other ports allow the body to stay on board and return home, which saves a lot of paperwork. It also means the spouse can continue their holiday. And yes, that does happen, according to one cruise line insider.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, a favourite with passengers aged over 65, said its medical repatriation team will work with the next of kin and the deceased’s insurance company to deal with the paperwork and arrange repatriation if the body is taken off the ship outside the UK. If the body stays on board, an undertaker will arrange collection once the ship arrives back in the UK.

The line confirmed the spouse can choose to continue their cruise. In that case, the guest relations manager and medical team will be on hand to offer support and assistance, for instance moving them to another cabin if possible and providing room service for all meals if requested. In the past, cruise lines would always carry chaplains on their ships, and some, including Cunard and Costa, still do, to offer support to the bereaved.

The ship's morgue cannot keep a body indefinitely, however - around one week is the limit. Which can become a problem on long cruises. In one incident in 2009, an 87-year-old woman - Marion Schaefer - died 36 days into a 114-night Holland America world cruise. Keen for her to complete her final voyage, Marion's son, who was also on board, found a solution. Her remains were cremated at the next port of call - Semarang, Indonesia - allowing him, and an urn with his mother's ashes, to finish the trip.

For those that are interesting there is a website - cruiseshipdeaths.com - that catalogues some of the more newsworthy deaths that have occurred during a voyage. Visitors will find details on Anthony Burger - a gospel pianist who dropped dead on stage; Steven Paul Hirschfield - who went overboard after a ketamine binge led to hallucinations; and Tyler King - who tried to climb the ship's mast.