Princess Cruise incident -- "human error"

[Deb in IA]

Cruise Ship Tilt Blamed on Human Error
Human Error Caused Cruise Ship to Tilt Last Week, Injuring 240, Cruise Line Official Says

By TRAVIS REED

ORLANDO, Fla. Jul 25, 2006 (AP)— Human error caused a cruise ship to abruptly tilt at sea last week, sending furniture and debris flying about the boat and injuring 240 passengers, a cruise line official said.

Though federal investigations continue, Princess Cruises president Alan Buckelow wrote in a letter to passengers that "the incident was due to human error and the appropriate personnel changes have been made."

No further specifics were given in the letter, which was dated Monday and posted on the company's Web site.

Company spokeswoman Julie Benson said in a telephone interview Tuesday that some crew members had been reassigned, but she declined to give further details.

"The captain remains in command of the ship. We have the utmost confidence in him," she said. "It was an isolated situation and I think passengers generally understand that."

The Crown Princess unexpectedly heeled to its side last week shortly after departing Port Canaveral, where it had stopped before a scheduled return to New York to complete a nine-day Caribbean cruise.

The ship, carrying 3,100 passengers and 1,200 crew, tilted an estimated 16 to 18 degrees, tumbling passengers, chairs, tables and other objects, and seriously injuring at least 20 people.

Those aboard described a terrifying interlude in which they were certain the entire 113,000-ton ship would tip over, and customers received a full refund for the journey.

More than 90 people were taken to hospitals, two with critical wounds. As of Monday all but one had been released.

The ship returned immediately after the incident to Port Canaveral, on Florida's east coast, but departed again for New York two days later and picked up a new load of passengers for a similar, shortened cruise.

"We express our sincerest apologies for this regrettable event, and fully understand that this was a distressing experience for all who were on board," Buckelow wrote in the letter.

A Coast Guard spokesman declined to comment on the cruise line's statement except to say the agency's joint investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board wasn't yet complete.

At the time of the incident, seas were calm. The ship was on autopilot, with its captain, Andrew Proctor, away from the bridge. The company earlier said Proctor has worked for them nearly 35 years and had an "exemplary record."

Princess is one of 12 brands operated by Miami-based Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator. The Crown Princess was christened just last month before embarking on its maiden voyage to the Caribbean from its home terminal in New York's Brooklyn borough.

A similar tilt occurred in February on a ship also operated by Princess. Soon after leaving the Port of Galveston, the 2,600-passenger Grand Princess made an emergency turnaround because a passenger suffered a heart attack. The ship tipped sharply to its side, injuring 37.

The cause of that incident, too, was determined to be human error.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2235723

 

[Deb in IA]

Here's the official letter, posted on the Princess Cruise Line site:

7/24/2006
A Letter to Our Passengers Regarding Crown Princess


Dear Passenger,
We at Princess Cruises would like to take the opportunity to comment about the incident of last week, when Crown Princess experienced a strong list following her departure from Port Canaveral, Florida. We express our sincerest apologies for this regrettable event, and fully understand that this was a distressing experience for all who were on board.

We especially extend our apologies to those passengers and crew who were injured. We are grateful that the injuries were not life-threatening, and also that those transferred to hospitals for evaluation and treatment have now been released with the exception of one passenger, for whom we wish a speedy and full recovery.

Following the incident, we immediately cooperated with representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the Bermuda flag authorities. Following an extensive assessment, Crown Princess departed New York last Saturday July 22 on a seven-day voyage, having received clearance to sail by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bermuda flag authorities.

We can appreciate there may be concern as to the cause of this incident, and questions about whether it could happen again. As you may be aware, there is an investigation into the incident being carried out by the U.S. authorities which has not yet been fully completed. It would therefore be inappropriate for us to comment in any detail before that investigation is complete and the results published.

However, we can confirm that the incident was due to human error and the appropriate personnel changes have been made.

We want to unequivocally emphasize that we would never operate an unsafe ship, nor would the U.S. Coast Guard allow a ship to sail that had any safety issues.

We want to assure passengers who may be booked on an upcoming sailing, or those who may be thinking about traveling with Princess, that the highest priority for our company is the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew.

Sincerely,

Alan Buckelew
President
Princess Cruises

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na825

 

[CamColt]

We saw the ship in Pt Canaveral last Thursday when we arrived for our Wonder cruise. We got talking to the CM at the entrance of the port(the one who checks IDs) as we drove in and he started going on about the incident. He told us it was human error and that they put the ship on "auto pilot", but hadn't changed the direction switch from when it had gone into port. So the ship was actually doing what it was told to do, to go back into the port. Of course, I don't know if that is what really happened but it's what we were told last Thursday.

 

[Whisker]

My husband and I were speculating about a "autopilot" type error when we heard about it as well. I can really see how something like that could cause such a problem. The computer might be ok with something since the ship could withstand it, but obviously for people and things on board it's another story.

Now with two "human errors" like this under their belt in such a short time, I hope they step up the training on the instruments and adjust things as necessary to distinguish what is really within standards for normal operation.

 

[dreamcometrue]

However, we can confirm that the incident was due to human error and the appropriate personnel changes have been made

*somebody* got fired!

 

[Disneyfun1]

we saw the ship as well when we went on our cruise on thursday july 20. i took a lot of pics of it. we saw a lot of media on the ground and in the air reporting on it. we also saw it leave about an hour before the wonder pulled out.

 

[Mmketeer]

Hi all,

This was such a sad and scary situation that happend to the crew and passengers aboard that Princess ship. I was very saddened to hear and see on the local news that some passengers said as they were waiting for the flights out of MCO say that they would not cruise again.
I know when they were testing the Freedom of the Seas they dipped it at a hard angle like this on purpose to test the ship's stabelizers, etc and I do recall seeing on the tv show that alot of the crew statrooms were flooded due to that test. But, unlike on Princess, no real damage to the ship or crew happened. So, the ship survived and passed the test and is now in service. I would go on it in a heart beat!

 

[indimini]

Princess is one of 12 brands operated by Miami-based Carnival Corp.,

As somebody new to cruising, this sentence caught my attention. I had no idea that so many lines were owned by one corporation. Wow!

Not to sound cavailier or unsympathetic because I'm sure it was a scary and dangerous experience, but if Disney want's to roll our ship 15 degrees on our last day and give me a full refund, I personally wouldn't mind.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

It was part of P&O but was sold off to them.

 

[tvguy]

I know I make mistakes at work*, fortunately my work is such that my mistakes can't hurt anyone. People make mistakes, computers have glitches, it's just part of life. But I sure hope they reprogram the autopilot so it asks for a second confirmation of commands if they take the ship into a manuever that is so extreme.

*As evidence of mistakes in everyone's work, I purchased a 12 pack of Diet Rite Zero Tangerine soda today. I brought it home and opened it to find 12 cans of RC Cola inside. I could take it back to the store. But what the heck, I'm going to enjoy all 1920 calories in those 12 cans of RC Cola, and the heck with the diet for this week .

 

[DisneyMom&Fan]

*As evidence of mistakes in everyone's work, I purchased a 12 pack of Diet Rite Zero Tangerine soda today. I brought it home and opened it to find 12 cans of RC Cola inside. I could take it back to the store. But what the heck, I'm going to enjoy all 1920 calories in those 12 cans of RC Cola, and the heck with the diet for this week .

Sounds like you opened up a Wonka bar and found a golden ticket inside!!

 

[Cindi0511]

I was thinking the same thing about mistakes -- I make them all the time, I'm sure, but fortunately, I don't think mine would impact as many people as were on that ship. IF it WAS the captain's fault and IF he wasn't on drugs or alcohol as the reports seem to bear out, I would have no problem going on a ship he was commanding. He's probably triple checking everything he does now. Anyone know how that little girl is doing? I've heard the reports that say all but one passenger has been released from the hospital.

 

[GeorgiaVol]

But what the heck, I'm going to enjoy all 1920 calories in those 12 cans of RC Cola, and the heck with the diet for this week

Don't forget the moonpies. Ain't nuthin' like an RC and a moonpie, lemme tell ya.

 

[tecdavidt]

OK, they didn't advance the next way point so yes, the autopilot would go back to what it thought was its correct way point. It all makes sense now. We know this because we have auto pilot on our boat. It is a sad situation for all, and a honest mistake and yes, people were injured but we do understand how it could happen. Sometimes the autopilot has a mind of its own. We feel sorry for those who were hurt and for those who lost their jobs over this mishap. We all need to remember this can happen on any vessel with autopilot. Dave and Kathy