NCL Majesty hits yachts in Bermuda

[Host Kewlguy]

Funny thing, I asked the Captain this exact question on the Zenith last week. I asked him who's decision it was regarding whether or not they visit St. George's on a windy day. He stated it was his decision and that the Bermudan authorities had purposely given incorrect information on wind speed in the past just to get them to bring the ship in there.

[basketballmom]

So theoretically, the Bermudians do have control if they lie about wind speeds just to get the ship to dock :)

[SNOWEY]

fYI--Just got back from the Horizon 5/7-14 cruise. We did not dock in St. George the day before this incident because of the high winds. We docked in Hamilton. :o

[shoreguy]

Funny this story never made it on the NY or Boston news.

 

I just read a post on another board from people in Bermuda that the sailboat that almost got sucked under was anchored IN the channel and should not have been there.

[smeyer418]

yes nothing on the news---I think we would have heard if someone was hurt or the ship was delayed. Since it wasn't...I am glad I wasn't on the Yacht!

[beachwarmer]

We were on the Majesty last week and the incident was not as bad a described in the paper.

 

The ship had no problem making it through the cut. We asked an officer on deck as we were headed into Bermuda if we were going to St. George's. He told us that they was never any talk of going to Hamilton as the winds had to be at over 22 knots before they thought about diverting. The wind was head on through the cut. As the ship was turning in the harbour prior to docking, I am guessing that a combination of the wind and some sailboats moored very close to the channel, pushed us towards some moored sailboats and out of the main channel. One crew was very quick in getting a sailboat out of the way. The one man on a sailboat had a digital camera on his wrist and took photos of the ship heading towards him instead of moving the vessel. Marine police tried to keep the sailboat away from the ship but it did come along side and hit close to the front of the ship(parallel the the ship) and the sail hit the bridge section that sticks out. This same sailboat hit the side of the ship head on before some Bermudians could make it out to cut the mooring chains and the police boat towed it away. You can see no damage to the sailboat. This is the only one we hit. (I have photos but do not know how to post them)We did require the assistance of a tug boat to get us back towards the dock. It took 5-10 minutes of pushing before we started moving. I would be guessing to say that we had gotten into shallow water. (They were having very low tides this past week)This all happened on the side of the ship out of view from St. George's. We watched the whole incident from deck 7, and most people were on the other side looking towards St.Georges and did not even know it was happening.

 

The captain came on and announce that we were in Bermuda late because of one hour due to weather and and another hour due to "the incident in the harbour."

[smeyer418]

We would love to see some pictures if anyone has!... Are your pictures digital and have you uploaded them?

[Lisa63]

Have there been any official reports on this incident? The Captain is getting pretty beaten up over on the CC HAL boards.

 

 

beachwarmer, thank you for the eyewitness account. The boater was actually taking photos? Unbelievable...

[futaba951]

This was a topic on the RCI board last month when one of it's ships hit a pier in Mexico. The wife of the Captain on the Navigator OTS posts on the RCI board. She cleared up this very question. The Captain is always in charge of the vessel even when the pilot is on the ship. She stated that the only place that she has seen the Captain give up control is the Panama Canal.

 

When that ship smashed into the pier in Nola a few years back I vaguely remember that it was the river pilot who was in control of the ship when it lost power and crashed. Maybe different bodies of water require different rules. Aren't all these rules made up by our government? Any wonder there's confusion??!!!

[H82seaUgo]

Funny this story never made it on the NY or Boston news.

 

No wonder this story was fresh to some of us this week!

[MrMate]

I am a master mariner and have been to sea for many years and I can assure every one that the responsibility is always with the captain. The pilot is the local "expert" and even though he is practically taking the vessel in or out, his actions are considered as advice.

[mbisson]

Wow-saw this pop up at the top of the list and I thought "Not Again". Then I saw how old the messages were----and though "No it's not again" :D

[smeyer418]

I am a master mariner and have been to sea for many years and I can assure every one that the responsibility is always with the captain. The pilot is the local "expert" and even though he is practically taking the vessel in or out, his actions are considered as advice.

except in the Panama Canal....boy is this an old thread...

[Cwolf]

I am a master mariner and have been to sea for many years and I can assure every one that the responsibility is always with the captain. The pilot is the local "expert" and even though he is practically taking the vessel in or out, his actions are considered as advice.

 

Also, a CG master's license. MrMate is correct. The responsibility lies with the Captain. It is the Captain that makes the decision to bring the ship through the cut, into a harbor under extremely windy conditions. He makes the decision on whether it is safe to maneuver under such conditions. And it is not the pilot steering the vessel in close quarters. The captain knows his vessel better, how it responds, etc. The pilot is in the wheelhouse, advising, directing the ship in terms of the channel, hazards, etc but the captain would be in charge at the helm maneuvering the ship in tight quarters.

[shoreguy]

Wow-saw this pop up at the top of the list and I thought "Not Again". Then I saw how old the messages were----and though "No it's not again" :D

 

Maybe it is time to drag the "rogue wave" thread to the top again :D That would get the newbies :eek:

[Don Haynes]

This story and thread is very old. In the meantime it was learned that the boat was anchored in a illegal location.

 

There is only a 700 foot turn around in St. George's harbor, with the boat inside the turnaround space.

 

I guess it is up to the pilot or Captain to board the boat and anchored it somewhere else legally while they are attempting to turnaround without the key.

 

Whose fault is it when someone parks their car on a railroad track? The car owner or the train engineer? Ships don't stop on a dime either.....

[mbisson]

Maybe it is time to drag the "rogue wave" thread to the top again :D That would get the newbies :eek:

 

ROTFL

 

BTW-The Donald was blamed, the Capt was blamed, NCL headquarters was blamed--AND IT WAS CAUSED BY MOTHER NATURE WHO SHOULD'VE BEEN BLAMED

[michaellasdad]

Maybe it is time to drag the "rogue wave" thread to the top again :D That would get the newbies :eek:

 

Not funny, we are newbies and will be cruising for the first time 4/23 on the Majesty and just about fell out of my office chair looking at this:eek:

[Don Haynes]

There aren't many ten year old ships that haven't suffered a nick against a dock, hit a chartered or unchartered rock, scraped the bottom of the harbor, hit another ship or boat, sailed over a log, or gone through heavy seas or a hurricane. Why do newbies think every ship has gone through its life unscathed?

 

I suggest newbies go to maritime matters.com and read the Shipping News......

 

There is a reason why the US Coast Guard requires a muster drill......

[GregD]

There aren't many ten year old ships that haven't suffered a nick against a dock, hit a chartered or unchartered rock, scraped the bottom of the harbor, hit another ship or boat, sailed over a log, or gone through heavy seas or a hurricane. Why do newbies think every ship has gone through its life unscathed?

 

I suggest newbies go to maritime matters.com and read the Shipping News......

 

There is a reason why the US Coast Guard requires a muster drill......

 

Wow all those have happened to the Majesty at one point or another.

[michaellasdad]

There aren't many ten year old ships that haven't suffered a nick against a dock, hit a chartered or unchartered rock, scraped the bottom of the harbor, hit another ship or boat, sailed over a log, or gone through heavy seas or a hurricane. Why do newbies think every ship has gone through its life unscathed?

 

I suggest newbies go to maritime matters.com and read the Shipping News......

 

There is a reason why the US Coast Guard requires a muster drill......[/quote

 

Hey, thanks for your understanding of a new cruisers concerns!

[SHINEMAN]

I wonder if they have determined if the propeller(s) are damaged? OR will they find that out on Friday when they leave port and the ship starts vibrating loudly?

 

I am going on the 5/22 sailing, hopefully there is no damage to the ship....I have a cabin in the aft section and would not be keen on listening to excessive vibration!!

 

I'm glad no one was hurt.

 

Better check that date.

[Houtx1559]

LOL you never know what you will find by looking around. I still don't know who's in charge...I tried the USCG website and that wasn't any help. There is no explicite section that says its the Pilot or the Master but I put my understanding above...I can understand not making the Pilot liable for ths ship but this seems to leave the Yacht SOL...(simply out of luck)

 

yes I know that isn't what it means but this is a family board.

 

The only place where the pilot takes "total" control of the ship from the Captain is the Panama Canal. All other ports the Captain is still in command.

[daveco58]

You guys are using two terms interchangably, and they are not. "Responsibility" is always the Captains. "Liability" would rest with the pilot in most cases. In other words it is always the Captains responsibility, as he has control of the ship. But if a pilot gives him incorrect information, he might well be liable for any damages.

This from my uncle who was a Chesapeke Bay Pilot for 40 years.

[billie5]

Wow. This is an old thread -- and an old topic. As many posters have stated, the captain is responsible everywhere except in the Panama Canal. Other threads have given references to prove this statement.

 

Interestingly enough, however, the situation in the Panama Canal is not so clear anymore. On Dec. 31, 1999, when the Panama Canal Authority took over from the Panama Canal Commission (ie, the Republic of Panama took control of the canal), the PCA refused to accept unlimited liability for accidents in the canal, capping the PCA liability, with all excess devolving to the shipping line. That is to say, liability became shared between the canal Authority and the ship owners. Previously, when all liability was assumed by the PCC, it was uncontested that the pilot had full control of the vessel. With shared liability, shipping lines wanted shared pilot-captain responsibility.

 

I do not know what became of this dispute, but it is hard to understand how a shipping line could give up complete responsibility to a pilot while still having unlimited liability for accidents. Does anyone know what actually happened? Is it still true that canal pilots have absolute control?

 

Bill