Two Killed in Cruise Ship Berthing Accident on Independence of the Sea

[Salacia]

According to a report by CNN, " two men died in St Kitts on Wednesday during a berthing accident involving Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas. The men were apparently assisting with mooring lines when they were thrown overboard from their boat as the ship pulled out of port.

 

Eyewitnesses suggest that the cruise ship may have pulled out before the men had enough time to clear the area. The small boat was apparently swamped and capsized. Although wearing life vests, one man’s vest became unfastened as he was thrown into the water." copied from http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Two-Killed-in-Cruise-Ship-Berthing-Accident-2014-04-03/

 

With sympathy,

Salacia

Edited April 4, 2014 by Salacia

[OSUZorba]

Very sad.

 

I have seen many dock workers that don't put on their life vest properly (not saying this was the case here). I see this sort of thing at work all the time with fall protection equipment, which I never understand. We had a 3 workers die at my company last year due to not properly using fall protection equipment, when it was provided and they were supposed to be using it. It has lead to a massive company wide safety push, that seems to be working, hopefully this event will result in better safety for dockworkers, even if it just makes them stop and think about it a little more.

[Salacia]

Here is a report from St Kitts: http://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/86529

[Salacia]

Very sad.

 

I have seen many dock workers that don't put on their life vest properly (not saying this was the case here). I see this sort of thing at work all the time with fall protection equipment, which I never understand. We had a 3 workers die at my company last year due to not properly using fall protection equipment, when it was provided and they were supposed to be using it. It has lead to a massive company wide safety push, that seems to be working, hopefully this event will result in better safety for dockworkers, even if it just makes them stop and think about it a little more.

 

 

 

"Eyewitnesses suggest that the cruise ship may have pulled out before the men had enough time to clear the area. The small boat was apparently swamped and capsized. Although wearing life vests, one man’s vest became unfastened as he was thrown into the water" -quoted from http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Two-Killed-in-Cruise-Ship-Berthing-Accident-2014-04-03/

[luv2gonow]

So sad i pray for there families

[Folk Singer]

Here is a report from St Kitts: http://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/86529

 

 

thank you for the report this is so sad.

[TonyFred]

How horrible. I enjoy watching all of the activity as the ship prepares to leave port. But it usually a very slow departure. Hard to imagine how a boat could be swamped, but it obviously can happen. Prayers for the families.

[Ladysilver]

Very sad news. :(

[Rufferto]

A life vest is essential. A lot of drownings occur because the individual is knocked unconscious during the accident and can no longer keep their head out of the water. Even multi Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps becomes the worst swimmer in the world if he gets knocked out.

I feel sad this happened.:(

[chengkp75]

I'd dispute a couple of things in the article, even though eye witnesses claim them, mainly because they are not mariners.

 

Line handling by small boat is always a dangerous job, and requires finesse on the part of the man driving the boat, and close co-ordination between the boat and the ship's crew operating the winches. The lines are heavy, and if the boat driver pulls too hard on the line, or the ship's crew are hauling in when the boat is going away, the weight or tension of the line can capsize or sink a small boat. To say that the ship "may have pulled out before the men had enough time to clear the area" is a little silly, since the ship delayed it's departure to aid in the rescue. The ship was most likely moving under thrusters when the men went into the water, and you can't just stop a large mass like the ship immediately. You certainly don't want to use the thrusters to stop the ship, as this would jeopardize the men as well.

 

The other point is, that if a lifejacket is properly worn, it cannot come undone by being knocked overboard. As another poster has said, port workers tend to be lax in their safety gear, and just put it on because its required. Since this happened in St. Kitts, not the US, it most likely won't have any lasting effect on port worker safety.

 

I do sympathize with the families of the dead, but the maritime industry is a dangerous one, and you always have to be conscious of your own safety. I always follow the old saying: "one hand for the ship, one hand for you".

 

Just checked Jim Walker's site for my morning chuckle, and saw a posting about this. Crew (position unidentified) said it was caused by wash from the azipods. This could be the case, but without knowing where the boat was in relation to the ship, you really can't say, as the wash from pods while pushing the ship away from the dock would be flowing directly towards the dock.

Edited April 4, 2014 by chengkp75

[Ghengis Klown]

really sad story

[UNV-IT!!!]

Thought I'd update this story. My parents along with their friends are onboard as we speak. I was able to speak with my mother who was on her balcony with her friend when the accident occurred and witnessed the whole event.

 

She said there was another ship docked across from them. When the men were removing the lines on Indy. Both ships seem to start their bow thrusters at the same time. Basically causing a massive wave pool between the two ships. The men's small boat was immediately capsized and the men were pulled right under the ships.

 

Indy didn't leave till 10pm while divers searched for the bodies.

[cruiserdudebobby8]

thats very sad

[jc24cruiser]

Very sad to think that 2 people lost their lives just so cruise passengers can enjoy a cruise, however, as pointed out by someone else, the industry is dangerous....but that will not lesson the loss felt by the families.

 

Interested to hear UNV-IT's version of events, I wonder if this is something that has happened before in that same way and if so, if there are regulations regarding it.

 

Will be keeping my eyes open for any updates x

[Salacia]

Thought I'd update this story. My parents along with their friends are onboard as we speak. I was able to speak with my mother who was on her balcony with her friend when the accident occurred and witnessed the whole event.

 

She said there was another ship docked across from them. When the men were removing the lines on Indy. Both ships seem to start their bow thrusters at the same time. Basically causing a massive wave pool between the two ships. The men's small boat was immediately capsized and the men were pulled right under the ships.

 

Indy didn't leave till 10pm while divers searched for the bodies.

 

Thank you for the update. What a horrific accident.

A small comfort for the families is that local divers recovered the bodies of the deceased. http://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/86529

 

With sympathy to all concerned,

Salacia

[gjkubel]

Thought I'd update this story. My parents along with their friends are onboard as we speak. I was able to speak with my mother who was on her balcony with her friend when the accident occurred and witnessed the whole event.

 

She said there was another ship docked across from them. When the men were removing the lines on Indy. Both ships seem to start their bow thrusters at the same time. Basically causing a massive wave pool between the two ships. The men's small boat was immediately capsized and the men were pulled right under the ships.

 

Indy didn't leave till 10pm while divers searched for the bodies.

 

Hmm, I wasn't there, but that just doesn't make sense. Were they lowering the lines on both ships at the same time? That would make no sense. You don't let loose two ships at once, they need to leave one after the other. Perhaps she just saw the wash from one and it looked like it came from both.

 

Not that it really matters, in the end, as this is still a tragedy.

[UNV-IT!!!]

Hmm, I wasn't there, but that just doesn't make sense. Were they lowering the lines on both ships at the same time? That would make no sense. You don't let loose two ships at once, they need to leave one after the other. Perhaps she just saw the wash from one and it looked like it came from both.

 

Not that it really matters, in the end, as this is still a tragedy.

 

We spoke very briefly as they are still on board. In labadee today.

She said you could clearly see both ships had their bow thrusters on. Which is what was causing such rough wake and unexpected wake. Hence the accident.

[grand isle joe]

Where the hell was the harbor master?.......St. Kitts?......gone for the day I suspect.....poor mates......another bad accident due to miss communication.

[Ocean Boy]

Just checked Jim Walker's site for my morning chuckle, and saw a posting about this. Crew (position unidentified) said it was caused by wash from the azipods. This could be the case, but without knowing where the boat was in relation to the ship, you really can't say, as the wash from pods while pushing the ship away from the dock would be flowing directly towards the dock.

 

I can't remember for sure right now as it has been a year since we were on St. Kitts with Indy but at some piers the ship's stern is a fair distance beyond the end of the pier. Sometimes there is a mooring platform beyond the pier for the stern lines. At some ports there is a catwalk out to the platform but at other ports a boat delivers the line handlers to the platform. This must have been the case or there would have been no reason to have a boat there at all. Depending on the situation the wash could be directly at the small boat. And even if the pods were at the dock's length the wash goes right under the dock between the pilings and could have hit the boat.

[chengkp75]

I can't remember for sure right now as it has been a year since we were on St. Kitts with Indy but at some piers the ship's stern is a fair distance beyond the end of the pier. Sometimes there is a mooring platform beyond the pier for the stern lines. At some ports there is a catwalk out to the platform but at other ports a boat delivers the line handlers to the platform. This must have been the case or there would have been no reason to have a boat there at all. Depending on the situation the wash could be directly at the small boat. And even if the pods were at the dock's length the wash goes right under the dock between the pilings and could have hit the boat.

 

Yes, the line handling boats are most frequent when a ship needs to moor to a dolphin (mooring platform separate from the dock), or sometimes when a line throwing gun cannot be used, so the line is lowered to the boat, and it takes the end to the dock. Haven't been to St. Kitts, so I don't know. But another poster stated that people on the ship said it was caused by the bow thrusters, just don't know, but it sounds like there was a restricted area between the two ships where the thruster wash resonated.

[Ocean Boy]

Thought I'd update this story. My parents along with their friends are onboard as we speak. I was able to speak with my mother who was on her balcony with her friend when the accident occurred and witnessed the whole event.

 

She said there was another ship docked across from them. When the men were removing the lines on Indy. Both ships seem to start their bow thrusters at the same time. Basically causing a massive wave pool between the two ships. The men's small boat was immediately capsized and the men were pulled right under the ships.

 

Indy didn't leave till 10pm while divers searched for the bodies.

 

I don't know how anyone could know that they were pulled right under the ships. Indy sits about 29 feet down into the water. Sounds to me like a bit of speculation.

[NorbertsNiece]

I can't remember for sure right now as it has been a year since we were on St. Kitts with Indy but at some piers the ship's stern is a fair distance beyond the end of the pier. Sometimes there is a mooring platform beyond the pier for the stern lines. At some ports there is a catwalk out to the platform but at other ports a boat delivers the line handlers to the platform. This must have been the case or there would have been no reason to have a boat there at all. Depending on the situation the wash could be directly at the small boat. And even if the pods were at the dock's length the wash goes right under the dock between the pilings and could have hit the boat.

 

Here's how it looked one year..... I have other pier pics somewhere

 

[Ocean Boy]

Here's how it looked one year..... I have other pier pics somewhere

 

 

Beautiful picture! I wonder if Indy was docked stern in or bow in. Maybe if both ships were docked stern in there was a problem out past the end of the pier with the ships using their thrusters.

[chengkp75]

I don't know how anyone could know that they were pulled right under the ships. Indy sits about 29 feet down into the water. Sounds to me like a bit of speculation.

 

Quite right about the speculation, but the thrusters are only about 15 feet down, and while they have gratings to keep from sending someone through them, if one was running, it could hold you against the grating until you drowned. Been known to happen. Or, conversely, going the other way, the wash could have pushed them into their capsized boat. Like I said, hard to tell, and we'll most likely never know. Sympathies to their families.

[oncruisecontrol]

Thought I'd update this story. My parents along with their friends are onboard as we speak. I was able to speak with my mother who was on her balcony with her friend when the accident occurred and witnessed the whole event.

 

She said there was another ship docked across from them. When the men were removing the lines on Indy. Both ships seem to start their bow thrusters at the same time. Basically causing a massive wave pool between the two ships. The men's small boat was immediately capsized and the men were pulled right under the ships.

 

Indy didn't leave till 10pm while divers searched for the bodies.

I believe it may have been Celebrity Silhouette that was docked across from Independence. My sister and her husband are currently on Celebrity Silhouette, and she'd e-mailed me that there had been two men missing from a capsized boat that had been attending to mooring lines. She had actually seen someone on Independence of the Seas throw a life ring into the water. Silhouette did not depart St. Kitts until 9PM as their crew participated in the search for the missing men.