During a peculiar incident at Yokohama Port, a man who tried to descend from a cruise ship using a rope plunged into the ocean and was later detained by local authorities. This event took place as the cruise ship, docked in Japan, became an unplanned escapade scene.
The incident unfolded late in the evening on April 30th when an observer noticed a man attempting to scale down the side of the MSC Bellissima using a rope. Unfortunately, the man lost his grip and fell into the water below. Concerned, the witness immediately contacted the Kobe Prefecture police around 10 p.m., which led to a swift search and rescue operation.
Identified as a French national in his 50s, the man managed to swim to shore and was subsequently found by the authorities. He received immediate medical attention for minor hand injuries, but fortunately, he avoided severe harm. Following his retrieval, the police arrested him under suspicion of attempting to illegally enter Japan, a claim he refutes stating a lack of awareness regarding the legal consequences of his actions.
The Enigma Behind the Risky Descent
The motives behind the man’s decision to exit the ship in such an unconventional and perilous manner remain unclear. According to local police, he may have been attempting to surreptitiously enter Japan. This theory comes across as puzzling, given that the passengers had recently embarked on a 7-night roundtrip Asian cruise aboard the MSC Bellissima, and the gangway was still accessible, simplifying debarkation.
Moreover, the cruise’s itinerary included multiple stops across various Japanese locales such as Kobe, Kochi City, and Kagoshima, which would have offered ample legal opportunities to disembark. The Bellissima, a Meraviglia-class ship and the fifth largest in MSC’s fleet, measures over 1,000 feet and features 18 decks, suggesting that climbing down its side was not only risky but required significant physical exertion.
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