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Board Faults Training In Cruise Ship's Tilt

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By TRAVIS REED, The Associated Press

Published: January 11, 2008

ORLANDO - Improper training and bad steering by the ship's second officer caused a Princess Cruises ship to tilt suddenly in 2006, injuring almost 300 people, the National Transportation Safety Board determined Thursday.

The NTSB said the Crown Princess's captain and crew failed to realize how fast they were going in shallow water, which threw the ship off course. The second officer disengaged autopilot to correct the course, then steered the wrong way, the board determined.

"The errors of the captain and staff captain in operating the integrated navigation system resulted from inadequate training," the board said in a synopsis of the accident.

The Crown Princess was headed from Port Canaveral to Brooklyn, N.Y., to close a 10-day Caribbean trip July 18, 2006. It tilted up to 24 degrees to its side, hurling passengers and objects about the boat.

The ship had been in service about a month, and the board said there was nothing wrong with it mechanically. Weather and sea conditions also were uninvolved.
Princess Cruises on Thursday apologized to passengers and said it has made changes requiring further navigation training for crews and better oversight for deck officers.

"We want to assure our passengers, or those who may be thinking about traveling with Princess, that the highest priority for our company is the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew," the statement said.

The Santa Clarita, Calif., company faces a class-action lawsuit in Los Angeles from about 35 passengers who claim severe injury and distress. Dan Rose, an attorney with Kreindler and Kreindler, which represents the class, said the report wasn't surprising.

"What is troubling is the lack of training that this crew was given, and the lack of supervision that the captain provided," Rose said.

The captain was not on the bridge at the time, and should have been, the NTSB determined.

The NTSB will recommend enhanced training on navigation systems for International Maritime Organization certification and members of the Cruise Line International Association.

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