Shortly after departing Port Canaveral,
Fla., Princess Cruises Crown Princess listed suddenly and sharply
to its left side July 18, injuring 240 passengers -- 94 of which
were transferred to local hospitals near the port, Princess Cruises
confirmed.
The widely reported
event took place at 3:25 pm, Princess said, while en route to New
York where a nine-day Western Caribbean sailing was due to end. The
ship was able to straighten out and return to Port Canaveral where
the cruise was terminated, Princess said.
While the cause of
the list is still being investigated by Princess and the U.S. Coast
Guard, the master of the vessel told the USCG that some sort of
steering casualty caused the vessel to abruptly list to the port
side, according to Lt. Cmdr. Chris ONeil, public affairs officer
for the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami.
ONeil added, Our
investigation is not complete. We are looking into all causal and
enabling factors.
Princess released a
statement saying that it is assessing the full extent of passenger
injuries, including to the 94 people transferred to area hospitals.
Three passengers and two crew members were still being treated, but
were expected to make a full recovery.
As of July 19,
1,600 passengers had disembarked the Crown Princess while another
1,850 still onboard were being assisted with their travel
arrangements. Princes said that the watertight integrity of the
ship has not been compromised, and it is safe for passengers to
remain onboard while the ship is alongside Port
Canaveral.
Princess added that there was considerable superficial
damage to the interior of the ship, but the damage was expected to
be repaired quickly.
According to
Princess spokeswoman Karen Tetherow, the Crown Princess July 20
sailing will be delayed by two days although the ship had not yet
been cleared to sail by the USCG as of Wednesday
evening.
We are confident we
will gain clearance in order to make our next departure in New York
on Saturday, Tetherow said.
The next sailing,
now departing July 22, will not call in Puerto Rico or St. Thomas
as the itinerary originally included. Passengers on this sailing
will receive a 50% refund and will be reimbursed for out-of-pocket
expenses incurred as a result of airline charges, Princess said.
Passengers may also cancel without penalty if they choose
to.
To
contact reporter Johanna Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].