Tender Unloading Accident on Maasdam

[Shmoo here]

2 hours ago, firecrewcapt said:

.......

Yeah, that's the site that many of us are aware of as one that's less than reliable about the news it disperses.

Edited November 12, 2018 by Shmoo here

[dogo88]

Here is the line to the article:

 

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2018/11/articles/maritime-death/fatal-tender-mishap-holland-america-lines-maasdam-rarotonga/

 

 

[catl331]

39 minutes ago, dogo88 said:

Here is the line to the article:

 

6 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Yeah, that's the site that many of us are aware of as one that's less than reliable about the news it disperses.

 

[dogo88]

Fair enough. But it's not in HALs best interest to advertise a situation like this. 

 

Is 2015 on the Ryndam there was a murder/suicide on a cruise. Little was mentioned by HAL (as expected) as it wasn't their fault. But the information was readily available via the FL newspapers and the website you indicate has questionable reporting.

 

So being in a foreign country there would be less of an incentive to pass this information, if it is correct, by the local papers. But if correct, much more of an incentive for HAL to not publicize it.

 

Accidents happen.

[chengkp75]

9 hours ago, aussiewalker said:

Alright, I didn’t want to comment more out of respect for the victim & family however I disembarked the Maasdam cruise this morning and can assure you that a passenger did pass away in Rarotonga as a result of an accident and it was announced by the Captain. Is that source good enough for you? The “rumour” is the cause of their death not the death itself. It was announced as there were witnesses to the accident and the Captain wanted to quash rumours which were floating around the vessel. 

 

Its all all very easy to be a keyboard warrior. Not everything that happens in this world is immediately reported on the internet. 

 

I believe what Olssalt is questioning is the OP's claim that the death was the result of a tendering accident.  By your own post, you don't know the cause, since you state the cause of death is the rumor.  I'll grant your statement and the Captain's statement that a passenger died, and that it was an accident, but that is a long way from granting that this was a tendering accident, or even an accident that was under HAL's control or even that HAL had anything to do with it.  OP appears to be blaming HAL, based on second hand information.  If the accident had occurred on the ship or as a result of tendering, the ship would not have been allowed to sail without a coroner's inquest or a police investigation at the least.  I don't hear anything about anyone seeing this kind of attention, nor about passengers being called as witnesses.

 

OP's comment that the incident "appears to be covered up" is rubbish, you don't cover up a dead body, and you certainly don't transport a body out of a jurisdiction (I know, I've had my share of deaths on ships).  As for the other poster who said the US authorities would be notified, that only applies if the passenger was a US citizen, and even then that would be the responsibility of the port state, in this case the Cook Islands, and the ship only needs to notify the US if it was a crime committed against the passenger.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

14 hours ago, westcoastcruiser said:

And we have been at a tender port where passengers were advised on the ship if they have mobility issues it is recommended they stay on board because of difficulty with swells and required steps to exit.  Yet have observed passengers ignoring that advice and relying on crew to almost lift them off the tender and up steps to reach the port.  

This is not explained enough. 

[taxmantoo]

Certainly a sad incident for all those involved.  I look forward to more details becoming available to explain exactly what happened.

 

The discussion on the safety of tendering always reminds me of a discussion we had at lunch one day a few years ago when invited by one of HAL's most experienced and respected Hotel Directors, no longer with the line.  He said, and I quote: "Louis, just look around the dining room; you can plainly see that approximately 40% of the folks here should not be on a cruise ship!"  I often think of how some people would react when stuck behind them in a real emergency.  I have seen ugly things when lined up for bread pudding... just saying.

[aussiewalker]

I know the cause of the accident but will not discuss it out of respect for the people involved. If you people want to be ghouls, I am not going to feed your appetites. What bothers me is that mrmac and I are being treated as liars. 

End of issue from me. 

[knittinggirl]

In Maui on the Star Princess we were returning on a tender, when the wind got bad.  We actually had people falling on the stair from the second level.

 

Nowadays, we get the wind forecast before we make the final decision to tender.

 

We figured if it's below 10 MPH, we'll give it a try.  In Charlottetown, it was something like 27 MPH and we cancelled our excursion.   Ship had changed it from dock to tender the day before.

[OlsSalt]

3 hours ago, dogo88 said:

Here is the line to the article:

 

https://www.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

 

 

This is not an "article" - it is a legal solicitation website. 

[mamaofami]

The article on the law site states the information is from someone who wishes to be anonymous . I think we need to wait for better corroboration.

[Homosassa]

36 minutes ago, aussiewalker said:

I know the cause of the accident but will not discuss it out of respect for the people involved. If you people want to be ghouls, I am not going to feed your appetites. What bothers me is that mrmac and I are being treated as liars. 

End of issue from me. 

I hear the childish singsong refrain "I got a secret and I won't tell" when reading this post.

 

If you don't want to tell what you know, that is fine. However, you didn't need to come on the thread just to let us know your virtuous attitude about discretion and, in the process, still just adding to the innuendo and gossip aspect that started the whole thread.

[knittinggirl]

The article reminds me of the Kavanaugh scandal right before Ford stepped forward.

 

 

[OlsSalt]

2 hours ago, we're sailing away.... said:

This is not explained enough. 

 

On our cruises there are many explanations about tendering and what precautions are necessary, including  the new and repeated announcements while on the tender, and an individual safety information sheet provided  to each cabin. Port lectures also review this precautionary information.

 

We have also been on many cruises where tendering was suspended due to unsafe conditions that came up, or the port stop aborted when there was no possibility of safe tendering.  

 

All of us on the recent Maasdam cruise to Easter Island knew when we signed up this  was port that often had to be cancelled due to unsafe tendering conditions -  huge risk we passengers knew we had to take that was totally dependent upon the weather and the captain's ultimate discretion.  

 

As it turned out we did have to miss the first day and the captain rearranged the entire rest of the cruise itinerary so we could literally circle back and come in for the following two days when the threatened weather patterns subsided Other captains on other ships visiting Easter Island just cancelled the stop entirelly  

 

Additionally there were strong warnings sent to all passengers to NOT stay overnight on Easter Island  during out two-day stay because there was no guarantee the ship would be able  to safely tender to pick them up the next day. As it  turned out, the ship did have  to re-position itself during the Easter Island overnight due to new storm patterns. And yes, some did stay over night, and went into total panic when they watched the Maasdam move out into the sea that evening while they were still onshore. 

 

We appreciated the care and caution our captain took, in not only getting us there safely but responding flexibly to how this diversion would impact the rest of the cruise. 

 

We have also received individual cabin warning letters about port crime precautions when warranted as well.  Most recently from my memory: Lima, Peru and Montego Bay Jamaica

Edited November 12, 2018 by OlsSalt

[knittinggirl]

I'm so short, I'm afraid I can't stretch far enough if the tender suddenly swerves while trying to bridge the gap.

[bcummin]

14 hours ago, aussiewalker said:

Alright, I didn’t want to comment more out of respect for the victim & family however I disembarked the Maasdam cruise this morning and can assure you that a passenger did pass away in Rarotonga as a result of an accident and it was announced by the Captain. Is that source good enough for you? The “rumour” is the cause of their death not the death itself. It was announced as there were witnesses to the accident and the Captain wanted to quash rumours which were floating around the vessel. 

Its all all very easy to be a keyboard warrior. Not everything that happens in this world is immediately reported on the internet.

 

For now, this is good enough for me.

This tragedy has traumatized other lives, and we send our thoughts and prayers to all affected.

More facts will surface.

Barbara

Edited November 12, 2018 by bcummin

[Cruise NH]

This seems to be an ongoing issue with this particular port.

 

I looked at my own travel journal from our stop at here a couple of years ago.  The Captain thought we would have to abort but in the end tendering was allowed. In my journal I wrote that the tender boat went up 3 feet and then down 3 feet while I was trying to get in.  The crew did a great job (Cunard) and everyone was safe, thank goodness.  

 

 Those with mobility issues were cautioned not to go, but they did.  I think in some cases people remember what they used to be able to do and don't accept their current less then mobile situation.  I don't know what the cruise lines can do about this.  I always feel bad for the crew.  

[POA1]

4 hours ago, aussiewalker said:

I want to be a ghoul. I am going to feed your beastly appetites. Know that mrmac and I are liars. 

End of issue from me. 

 

?? 

[OlsSalt]

13 minutes ago, POA1 said:

 

?? 

 

Just some infighting over who will  be the godmother of the newest ship launched here, the MS Calumny B. Damned.

Edited November 12, 2018 by OlsSalt

[taxmantoo]

15 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Just some infighting over who will  be the godmother of the newest ship launched here, the MS Calumny B. Damned.

I hear Jim Acosta has some free time

[cruising cockroach]

6 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

All of us on the recent Maasdam cruise to Easter Island knew when we signed up this  was port that often had to be cancelled due to unsafe tendering conditions -  

 

That's why so few ships use Hanga Roa as a place to end and begin cruises.  Next cruise I'm on, the ship does use Hanga Roa to end a cruise and start another (I'm on the cruise that comes from Hanga Roa).

[cruising cockroach]

8 hours ago, taxmantoo said:

The discussion on the safety of tendering always reminds me of a discussion we had at lunch one day a few years ago when invited by one of HAL's most experienced and respected Hotel Directors, no longer with the line.  He said, and I quote: "Louis, just look around the dining room; you can plainly see that approximately 40% of the folks here should not be on a cruise ship!"  

 

I imagine that if what he said to you got around, that would have been/was a career death sentence for him?

[ChinaShrek]

9 hours ago, aussiewalker said:

I know the cause of the accident but will not discuss it out of respect for the people involved. If you people want to be ghouls, I am not going to feed your appetites. What bothers me is that mrmac and I are being treated as liars. 

End of issue from me. 

 

You will find people are very distrusting on CC.  They should be more trusting and compassionate.  Many of the posters of this board want to support HAL almost automatically and instead focus on what the passenger did wrong or what rule the passenger broke.  That's what they are looking for.  Really, the truth is irrelevant most of the time.  It's how one feels that matters.

[OlsSalt]

22 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

 

You will find people are very distrusting on CC.  They should be more trusting and compassionate.  Many of the posters of this board want to support HAL almost automatically and instead focus on what the passenger did wrong or what rule the passenger broke.  That's what they are looking for.  Really, the truth is irrelevant most of the time.  It's how one feels that matters.

 

No, many posters want to protect both HAL and its staff members from unfounded slurs and attacks. Know the difference. Plus the HAL cheerleaders and the chronic HAL detractors actually share one thing in common - non-partisan bashng of the new HAL website.  So your demand we "should be more trusting and compassionate" just went out the window. 

[mammy123]

I also saw this on Cruise Junkie.  They reported that it happened last Thursday.  Thoughts and prayers for her and her family.