The agency's Texas City office said in a brief statement posted to X that it is responding to the reported incident aboard the MSC Seascape. A maritime liaison agent is coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Port of Galveston Police Department, Customs and Border Protection, and the cruise line, according to the FBI. Officials did not immediately release additional details, including the identity of the person who died or the circumstances surrounding the death.

The Seascape, operated by the global cruise company MSC Cruises, can carry more than 5,800 passengers and roughly 1,600 crew members, according to the line's website. The vessel is currently sailing Caribbean itineraries and is flagged in Malta.

The FBI has authority to investigate serious crimes aboard cruise ships and other vessels in U.S. territorial waters, depending on factors including the ship's location, the nationalities of those involved, ownership, ports of embarkation and debarkation, and the country where the vessel is flagged. The agency's jurisdiction covers reports of murder or attempted murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, robbery, assaults causing serious bodily injury, and arson on vessels.

MSC Cruises, founded in Naples, Italy, in 1988, is the world's third-largest cruise line and operates 23 ships, about half flagged in Panama and the rest in Malta.

The investigation is unfolding at one of the busiest cruise ports in the country, where thousands of passengers pass through each week. Galveston officials have not commented publicly on the case, and it was not immediately clear whether the ship's departure schedule would be affected.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the FBI's Texas City office or local authorities.