Eight crew members aboard Majestic Princess were reportedly removed from the ship at the Port of Boston on October 5th, according to information published by the social media page Buhay Sa Cruise Ship. The group was said to include seven Filipino nationals and one Indian national.
According to the report, the information came from a crew member’s friend who was also returning home that day. Officials reportedly boarded the vessel with a list of names and identified the crew members before taking them into custody. The reasons for the reported removals have not been disclosed, and the information has not been independently confirmed.
The report also described concerns among some cruise ship crew members as vessels approach U.S. ports. Some workers were said to be preparing their luggage before arrival because of fears that they could be removed from the ship and sent home. Such uncertainty can add pressure to crew members working on contracts far from their home countries, particularly when the circumstances surrounding individual cases are unclear.
Buhay Sa Cruise Ship also reported a separate case involving a crew member preparing to return to a ship. Three days before the scheduled rejoining date, the worker reportedly received an email informing them that their visa had been cancelled, preventing them from returning to the vessel. The ship involved and the reason for the cancellation were not identified, and there was no indication that the case was connected to the reported removals from Majestic Princess.
The social media page suggested that there were no clear measures crew members could take to prevent such situations and mentioned assignments in Europe, Asia, the Middle East or aboard expedition vessels as possible alternatives. This was presented as an individual suggestion rather than official guidance.
The reported incident follows a series of crew removals at U.S. ports. On September 30th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that Operation Tidal Wave had resulted in 87 cruise crew removals in Boston since mid-August. Among those cases were six Filipino crew members from Norwegian Breakaway, who were processed for removal following an investigation involving child sexual abuse material.
The developments have also prompted discussions within the cruise industry, including town hall meetings held by NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line to address concerns among crew members.
For more Majestic Princess incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.