Hard Roll on Cruise Ship "Crown Princess" Results in Passenger Injuries

A three-member National Transportation Safety Board (TSB) team has been dispatched to Port Canaveral, Florida to investigate Tuesday’s steering incident aboard the cruise ship “Crown Princess.” They will participate, along with representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, in the preliminary investigation of the hard roll experienced by the vessel that injured scores of passengers.

Christened just last month in New York before it set sail on its maiden voyage, the 113,000 ton vessel was making only its fourth voyage. There were a reported 3,100 passengers and 1,200 crew members on board at the time of the incident. Officials said that a steering problem caused the new cruise ship to suddenly roll, jarring passengers and crew to the deck and injuring dozens. Two persons were reported to have serious injuries.

Following the incident, the ship righted itself before returning to port. U.S. Coast Guard officials have said that all passengers and crew had been accounted for. Passengers reported a wild scene which included flying glass and flooding of the upper decks from the ship’s swimming pool. Princess Cruises, one of many lines operated by Miami-based Carnival Corp, said that it was investigating the cause of the incident.