Cruise Ship Fails Inspection
Held In New York Harbor
Clipper Pacific - July 13, 2008
There are about 1200 people aboard a cruise ship, that should consider themselves so lucky, they should run not walk to the nearest gangway and on the way home order a gift basket for the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
The Clipper Pacific, a ship home ported in the Bahamas has been detained in New York City. She was on a world cruise, having left Greenland on the way to Venezuela, when she stopped in New York City. That was a very lucky stop for the 1200 aboard.
When the USCG boarded the ship for a routine inspection, it found 66 violations aboard. While Cruise Bruise normally reports this number of violations with utter disgust, disgust can not summarize the shock at finding out this ship was headed out to sea with a cracked hull, and water leaking into the ship. The USCG said the ship had "significant damage".
The ship, surely doomed with 1200 aboard, was held by the USCG in port with a one inch hole in her hull, that the crew were using a pump to deal with the water the ship was taking on.
A team of six inspectors boarded the ship early in the morning on Sunday July 13, 2008 and quickly determined the cruise ship was not sea-worthy.
Had it just been a leaking cracked hull, that would seem bad enough. But, disaster was written all over this ship, with the USCG finding other violations that included fire safety, lifeboat damages and life jacket issues.
In a nutshell, these people most likely would have never made it the Bahamas.
Representatives from the Bahamas Flag Administration and the Bureau Veritas Classification Society were onboard throughout the inspection.
Divers from Randive Incorporated, a Commercial diving company from Perth Amboy, N.J., assessed the ship’s damage from the water and conducted additional temporary repairs Sunday from 0800 hours. to 2230 hours p.m. and on Monday from 0530 hours. to 1850 hours.
Passengers had been allowed to leave the ship on Sunday, able to come and go as they pleased.
The question that needs to be asked here is this. If the USCG could board and quickly see the hull was breeched and the ship was taking on water, how is it that the crew of this vessel could not determine that fact, and seek safe harbor for repairs, instead of heading to Venezuela?
Passengers had their safety compromised by an incompetent crew and need to fly home now, considering themselves lucky.
UPDATE: July 17, 2008
The International Shipping Partners of Miami managed Clipper Pacific has been cleared to go to Tampa Florida for repairs.
International Shipping Partners, is administrative manager for owner Pearl Owner Ltd, and is the commercial and technical manager of the Vessel.
The USCG had the ship moved to Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal from Pier 92 on the west side of Manhattan to complete repairs need in order to head back out to sea. Now, the ship is cleard to move on to Tampa for further repairs, before it continues on the world voyage.
The Clipper Pacific was a "Peace Boat", a nonprofit group from Japan that works to promote peace, human rights and responsible travel. The vessel is used as a neutral and mobile meeting space.
The Peace Boat website says this is the first trip to Iceland and Greenland. The cruise began on May 14th and was to end on August 25, 2008.
The stated mission for the sailing was, "sailing in the Norwegian Fjords, Alaska and Greenland, Peace Boat will explore the icy ecosystems threatened by global warming and tackle the economic, political and environmental issues involved in our onboard education programs, while learning from the progressive alternative-energy policies of Iceland."
Further, the website identifies purposes as, "Other programs will examine the position of indigenous peoples in Greenland, Central America and Canada; the issues of human rights and immigrants in Western Europe, and the Arab-American experience in New York City. A further highlight will be the call to Venezuela, where numerous exchange and study programs with students and community groups will offer the opportunity to examine Chavez’s “Bolivarian Revolution” firsthand.
Clipper Pacific is being positioned to Yokohama, for delivery to Charterer.
The 637-foot long, 22,945 gross ton ship has a capacity of 1258 passengers.
The cruise ship was known by the names Clipper Pearl, Dream Princess, Sundream and Song of Norway. She was built in Oy Wartsila, Helsinki, Finland in October 1970 and lengthened in 1978.
