Cruise ship murder suspect released on bail

The ship returned from Belgium to Southampton on Monday

A man arrested as part of a murder investigation on a cruise ship has been released on bail.

A 60-year-old man from West Sussex died following an altercation reported about two-and-a-half hours after MSC Virtuosa departed Southampton on Saturday evening.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary arrested a 57-year-old man from Exeter, Devon, on suspicion of murder and he was released on bail on Tuesday afternoon.

The force wants to hear from anyone who was aboard the ship that left Southampton at 18:00 BST on Saturday on a two-night voyage to Bruges, Belgium, returning at 06:00 on Monday.

The man's death reportedly followed an altercation on MSC Virtuosa on Saturday night, police said

In a statement, MSC Cruises said: "Following an incident on board our ship, the relevant authorities were contacted, and we are cooperating fully with their investigations.

"We are providing full support to those impacted and thoughts are with the family and friends at this difficult time."

Police said the victim's next of kin had been informed and were being supported by specialist officers.

The MSC Virtuosa is operated by MSC Cruises and has capacity for 6,334 guests.

The ship was used for the filming of the Channel 5 crime drama The Good Ship Murder starring Shayne Ward and Catherine Tyldesley.

In October 2024, a woman died after going overboard from the 331-metre cruise ship while off the Channel Islands.