A 60-year-old grandfather from West Sussex has died on board a luxury cruise ship during a stag do after an altercation broke out on Saturday evening.
The incident occurred around 8.30pm on the MSC Virtuosa shortly after it departed Southampton.
The ship was still in British waters when the man was killed following what passengers described as "chaos" involving stag parties on the vessel.
The cruise had been bound for Bruges in Belgium on a two-night mini cruise.
A 60-year-old man from West Sussex has died on board a luxury cruise ship during a stag do after an altercation broke out on Saturday evening
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Hampshire Constabulary launched a homicide investigation after the death, arresting a 57-year-old man from Exeter, Devon on suspicion of murder.
The suspect has since been released on bail while police inquiries continue.
A force spokesman said: "Officers are continuing their inquiries into the death of a 60-year-old man from West Sussex on board the MSC Virtuosa."
The victim's next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist police officers.
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The MSC Virtuosa is operated by MSC Cruises and has a capacity of 6,334 guests.
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Laura May Matthews, who was on the cruise with her husband, described hearing an emergency call for medical assistance on deck 15.
"We saw staff members valiantly trying to shelter off a section on deck 15 despite the inclement weather. A huge sheet was held up to prevent people seeing or passing on the starboard side," she told the Mirror.
Matthews later observed an ambulance at the bottom of a gangplank in Zeebrugge on Sunday morning.
She added that "polite yet firm requests" were made over the public address system for various people to attend the public relations office.
Another passenger, Lynda Hardiman-Pearce, reported that "hen and stag parties causing chaos" were on the boat.
She said a man told her "his son was an army medic and had tried to help by doing CPR on a guy that had collapsed but unfortunately couldn't revive him".
Hardiman-Pearce added: "The cruise was full of hen and stag parties causing chaos. Since getting home we talked to our family, and they all said it didn't sound like any cruise they had been on."
The MSC Virtuosa is operated by MSC Cruises and has a capacity of 6,334 guests.
The ship returned to Southampton on Monday after the incident
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The ship returned to Southampton on Monday after the incident.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Gillooly said: "We want to reassure you that this appears to be an isolated incident on-board, and we want to thank the crew for their cooperation."
Police remain keen to hear from anyone who was aboard the ship and have asked witnesses to contact them on 101 with reference 44250193676.
