Burial at Sea from a Cruise Ship

While cruising the eastern seaboard, a passenger on board with us witnessed something rather unusual. Later, during a question and answer seminar, the Captain was asked if in fact what had been witnessed was a "burial at sea". The captain confirmed what had occurred and explained the process as below...

"Cruise lines allow the tossing of a biodegradable urn containing ash while at sea. A certificate proving the urn is biodegradable may also be required. Guests must provide the death certificate and cremation certificate."

Not quite the epic Osama Bin Laden tale, but disposing of ashes off the back of a cruise ship is something I had never heard of before, or even considered so I thought I would share.

The video clip seen below (not as witnessed on ship) depicts a typical cruise line burial at sea.