Celebrity Infinity crashes into Ketchikan Dock

[jdb in AZ]

The dock sustained $2-3 million in damages, and put a gash in the side of the ship.

Actual point of impact is about 1:40 into the video, but you can hear the photographer/friend wondering why everyone is running before then.

http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2016/06/03/video-cruise-ship-crashes-into-ketchikan-dock/

 

[Imahikergirl]

Can you imagine being in one of those ocean view staterooms?

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

I saw that at 230am when I was doing my check in for the NYC/Canada cruise and said wow. I then went to make sure the Wonder doesn't use the same pier and it appears they do not. This was pier 3 and the Wonder shows to use pier 1. I hope for those impacted they get this fixed ASAP!

Heather

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

That is in the category of *BIG OUCH*.

Just looking at the video, the wind was blowing pretty good, right on the starboard bow.,which meant its blowing the ship up against the pier. She is coming in at a pretty good angle, with her stern out to avoid getting to close to the other cruise ship docked there. Watching the bow thrusters wash, I cannot tell if all 3 are going or just one. So this could be a mechanical problem with the thrusters, or she just got blow hard against the dock.

There is alot of damage to that dock. I would expect underwater damage to the platforms. More then $3 million. Time wise they could do just temporary repairs and then full repairs after the season.

jdb reported a gash in the hull. That may very well end that cruise.

We will hear more today or tomorrow.

The good part is no one was hurt.

AKK

 

[mmouse37]

Just wow!!!

MJ

 

[Jennifer777]

Wow! So glad everyone is ok but I bet that impact was terrifying for those inside. I agree with @Tonka's Skipper - this cruise could very well be over after that. That's some pretty significant damage!

*Edited to tag the right poster! Sorry Skipper!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Well she is underway.......16.6 knots heading south. I doubt she has any real damage or certainly no gash as they would not have sailed.

AKK

 

[saxmangeoff]

Wow.

 

[truck1]

Aside from the camera person putting her finger on the lense atvthe worst times a couple of thing I noticed is that the bow thrusters don't seem to be pushing at max force. If all 3 are pushing. It looked like only 1 was working. 2nd thing is she was still drifting foward as she was coming in. Which could be to get her stern past the ship behind her. Or she was getting quickly out of control as she was coming in due to malfunctions or simply she couldn't compensate for the wind. I'm not going to speculate but something doesn't seem right at all. BTW this is why a lot of ports require tugs under certain conditions.

 

[truck1]

Something else I noticed too @Tonka's Skipper is the lack of the war ing horn from the bridge.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Aside from the camera person putting her finger on the lense atvthe worst times a couple of thing I noticed is that the bow thrusters don't seem to be pushing at max force. If all 3 are pushing. It looked like only 1 was working. 2nd thing is she was still drifting foward as she was coming in. Which could be to get her stern past the ship behind her. Or she was getting quickly out of control as she was coming in due to malfunctions or simply she couldn't compensate for the wind. I'm not going to speculate but something doesn't seem right at all. BTW this is why a lot of ports require tugs under certain conditions.

I was wondering about the thrusters as well....looks like maybe 1 was going. Do they even have tugs available in Ketchican?

 

[Uncleromulus]

Shows that even with all the latest equipment that Cruise Ship sailing isn't an exact science.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Something else I noticed too @Tonka's Skipper is the lack of the war ing horn from the bridge.

There is no signal for *I am about to hit your dock*, there is fast short blasts to indicate danger. I am sure the dock was aware by radio, If you listen to the lady on the tape, she comments *what are all those people running from*. I believe that was the people on the dock.

I would add it was not an impossibility that the Infinitely could have just keep coming though the dock and hit the boat those people taking the video were standing on.........I would have had everyone on land.

AKK

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Shows that even with all the latest equipment that Cruise Ship sailing isn't an exact science.

Uncle Romulus, that is the best comment on vessel maneuvering I have heard in a longgggggg time!


AKK

 

[Krissy22222]

Are we sure that it is dock 3 because on another board it was stated that it is dock one that was affected, which is the dock Disney is scheduled to use.

 

[truck1]

There is no signal for *I am about to hit your dock*, there is fast short blasts to indicate danger. I am sure the dock was aware by radio, If you listen to the lady on the tape, she comments *what are all those people running from*. I believe that was the people on the dock.

I would add it was not an impossibility that the Infinitely could have not just keep coming though the dock and hit the boat those people taking the video were standing on.........I would have had everyone on land.

AKK

True but I was thinking the 5 short blasts of danger. It would also warn the other ships something wasn't right and pay attention.

I was thinking the same thing woth the dockworkers. Not sure if they got a radio call or they said this isn't right and she's not stopping and ran on their own. Not sure if Ketchikan has tugs but if it's anything like Port Canaveral they could have the tugs come up from somewhere else in the time frames that the ships are moving.

 

[truck1]

There's several questions that are running thru my mind and no easy answers.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Celebrity is blaming weather conditions. They also said that the "gash" (reported by an Alaskan newspaper) is just a scrape, and they've already begun repairs. They plan to end the cruise in Vancouver on schedule.

The Alaskan ports are so busy during the summer season I hope that no cruise has to reroute or tender because the damaged berth won't be available for a few weeks.

 

[safeti01]

The NTSB investigation would be interesting. There should have been audible warning from the ship prior to collision.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Since there was happily no one injured or pollution, this is no a big deal. Ships hit docks all the time, I doubt NTSB will waste much time on it, they may attend the vessel in Vanouver or it will be handled by sending in reports to them. There will have been a USCG interview of the Master and the Bridge staff in ketchican. If there was a mechanical issue, the Engineers would have had to show the problem was repaired or the vessel could not have sailed. As to the Warning signal. Yes It should have been sounded, but today so much is done over the radios, horn signals are sometimes by passed.


AKK