Anthem Captain Explains Storm Development

Several people were injured on board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Anthem of the Seas, on Sunday when the ship encountered an Atlantic Ocean storm off the U.S. east coast.

The cruise line, in a statement sent to USA Today, suggested the extreme wind and sea conditions that hit as the ship sailed south from New Jersey to Florida were unexpected, noting that the wind speeds were higher than what was forecast.

Videos showing the captain of the vessel, Claus Andersen, explaining his view of the incident are now available on YouTube.

“What we experienced yesterday was something very special,” said Andersen. “We were supposed to have around four to five meter seas which is 12-15 feet. For this vessel, it’s very doable.”

Arriving on the bridge at 0630 that morning, Andersen said he was expecting winds of 40-50 knots, but by 1300 the winds were quite a bit stronger than forecast. “It developed so quickly. That was the special thing. In eight or nine hours it goes from being nothing to a full-blown storm.

“The ship handled it very well,” he said.

However, Royal Caribbean has come under attack by frightened passengers and at least one weather expert. Nj.com reports Ryan Maue, a digital meteorologist for WeatherBell Analytics, saying: “The storm was well forecast by many different weather models from every agency. This was not a surprise to anyone watching the weather on a daily basis.” 

The extreme impacts were also quite predictable and expected by meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ocean Prediction Center, he said. Waves of over 30 feet and wind gusts over 80 knots were experienced over a large area of the Atlantic Ocean. “This situation is no different in practice to purposely sailing a vessel into the path of a rapidly developing Category 1 or 2 hurricane,” Maue said.