A seven-night cruise to Mexico and Honduras ended abruptly a day after it began when federal authorities ordered the MSC Seascape back to Galveston, Texas, over a suspected homicide aboard the ship.
The vessel had left Galveston at 4 p.m. Sunday and wasn’t due back until Nov. 15. Instead, it returned to port on Monday, prompting an FBI response.
“FBI Texas City is responding to a suspected homicide onboard the MSC Seascape cruise ship that docked in Galveston on November 9, 2026,” FBI Houston said in a statement.
A Maritime Liaison Agent from the bureau’s Texas City Resident Agency is coordinating the investigation with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Port of Galveston Police Department, Customs and Border Protection, and MSC Cruises, according to the FBI. The bureau serves as the lead federal agency for investigating crimes committed on the high seas and routinely works with local and federal partners when incidents occur aboard cruise ships.
MSC Cruises confirmed that authorities ordered the ship back to Galveston after the cruise line reported an incident involving a guest.
“We are cooperating fully with the investigation and providing support to those impacted. The ship has left the port and resumed its planned itinerary,” an MSC Cruises spokesperson said.
The company said it could not share further details given the active investigation.
“Our thoughts are with the guest’s family and friends at this difficult time,” the spokesperson added.
Authorities have released almost nothing about what happened aboard the ship. The FBI has not identified the person who died, disclosed their age or nationality, said how they died, or indicated whether anyone has been detained or identified as a suspect. Officials also have not said where aboard the ship the incident occurred.
The Seascape’s itinerary had included stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, and Roatan, Honduras, with the first port call scheduled for Wednesday in Costa Maya, according to CruiseMapper.
The ship, which entered service in 2022 and sails under the flag of Malta, can carry more than 5,800 passengers and roughly 1,600 crew across 2,270 cabins on 19 decks. MSC Cruises markets the Seascape’s seven-night Western Caribbean voyages out of Galveston.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no further details have been released.
