Passenger dies aboard cruise ship during visit to Donegal port
The deceased was transferred to Letterkenny University Hospital after being brought ashore at Greencastle
A passenger has died on board a cruise ship which visited a Donegal port in recent days.
The deceased person was subsequently brought ashore at Greencastle and transferred to Letterkenny University Hospital.
The death occurred on the Seven Seas Voyager, which arrived into Lough Foyle and anchored off Greencastle on Friday, August 28.
An Garda Síochána confirmed that the incident was being treated as a medical emergency and that the death is not being investigated as a criminal matter.
A spokesperson for Foyle Port confirmed that a passenger had died on board the vessel.
“I understand that a passenger passed away onboard the Seven Seas Voyager and was landed ashore at Greencastle on August 28th to be transferred to Letterkenny hospital,” the spokesperson said.
“It was all organised by the ship’s agent and dealt with by the Garda in accordance with Irish regulations.”
The death occurred as the Seven Seas Voyager was making a scheduled visit to Foyle Port at Greencastle.
Go Visit Inishowen, the local tourism agency, also offered its sympathies.
“Sadly, we understand that a passenger has passed away. Our thoughts are with their family and loved ones at this difficult time,” a spokesperson said.
The Seven Seas Voyager, a 206-metre-long luxury cruise ship, anchored at Greencastle at approximately 7.15am on August 28, before sailing away later that evening.
Built in 2003 and refurbished in 2026, the vessel has a gross tonnage of 42,363 and carries approximately 1,400 guests and crew.
When a person dies on board a cruise ship, the ship's medical team will normally confirm the death and the captain and relevant authorities are notified. The body is generally placed in a dedicated onboard morgue until arrangements can be made at the next appropriate port. Where a ship is in Irish waters or comes ashore in Ireland, Gardaí and other relevant authorities may become involved, depending on the circumstances.
In international waters, procedures are generally governed by the law of the vessel's flag state, while the ship's operator and the passenger's home country's consular authorities may also become involved.