| in short |

| planning on taking a cruise? think twice! |

 

The staff of popular cruise liner company Princess Cruises may be causing the company more trouble than its worth, with a litany of litigation being unleashed against the company as a direct result of what many are crying ‘negligence’ on behalf of its’ crew.

 

What started out as a 10-day leisurely trip to the Caribbean turned out to be a ‘fear-factor’ type experience for many.  The vessel in question had departed from Port Canaveral, Florida, when she suddenly titled 16 to 18 degrees to her side (or more frightfully, a 24 degree turn – in the wrong direction!). Approximately 300 passengers were injured as they crashed into one another and the various objects onboard.  Passengers reportedly were able to see the ocean rising up to meet them as they stared out of their cabin windows in horror and the vessels’ swimming pools emptied into the vast expanse of the ocean.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have openly condemned the crew and landed the company in hot water in finding that the incident was due to ‘bad steering, improper training and the fact that the Captain was not onboard the bridge at the time’.

 

According to the NTSB the speed of the vessel was improperly increased shortly after departure and the high rate of speed in the territorial shallow water resulted in the vessel veering dangerously off course.  However, the problem was compounded when the Second Officer, in his attempt to correct the veering, switched off the autopilot, turning to manual steering instead and proceeded to steer in the wrong direction, leading ultimately to the tilting of the vessel!  

 

The Second Officer allegedly turned the vessel from port to starboard several times, which may have caused the vessel to significantly heel to the starboard. The officer allegedly told the NTSB he took the ship off auto-pilot and mistakenly steered it in the wrong direction after becoming concerned about the speed of a turn.

 

The NTSB has recommended ‘enhanced navigation systems training’ for all present and future members of the Cruise Line International Association.  In the meantime, Princess Cruises have issued an apology to those injured assuring them that better supervision of deck officers and additional navigational training is currently in place.

 

Dozens of passengers have instituted legal proceedings against the company claiming they have suffered serious physical, psychological and emotional distress as a direct result of the incident.

 

Bad steering or simply bad luck – we may never know but for now it seems that one should think twice before sailing off into the sunset!

 

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delport ward & pienaar

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