Are passengers banned from cruise ships if they can’t swim? Is this mandatory for travel?

Are cases of cruise ship passengers going overboard common?

The Telegraph reports 327 cruise and ferry passengers and crew members have gone overboard since 2000, with 2015 recording the highest total when 27 people fell into the sea.

Generally, such instances tend to be down to suicide, drunkenness or foul play.

In December, a cruise ship entertainer from Royal Caribbean was reported missing after he fell overboard on Christmas Day, while working on the ship.

The search for him was abandoned two days later.