Passenger Ship Grounding off the Alaskan Coast Spurs NTSB Investigation
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A 300-foot U.S. flag cruise ship, the Empress of the North, ran aground about 50 miles west of Juneau, Alaska on Monday morning. U.S. Coast Guard personnel and assets responded to the vessel’s call for assistance and with the assistance of an Alaskan state ferry, the 281 passengers on board were successfully evacuated and transported back to Juneau. In addition to launching a C-130 crew and deploying a HH-60 helicopter, the Coast Guard also provided the CGC Liberty. No injuries or pollution were reported as a result of the incident.
The Empress of the North has since returned to Juneau with its full complement of 33 crew members on board. According to a Coast Guard press release, “the vessel was able to refloat and return to Juneau under its own power shortly after transferring all passengers and crew to the Alaska Marine Highway ferry vessel Columbia. The Coast Guard escorted the Empress of the North to Auke Bay where Coast Guard marine inspectors surveyed the damage. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently en route to Juneau to conduct its own investigation of the incident in parallel to the Coast Guard's casualty investigation.”
MarEx has since learned that the vessel, which is owned and operated by Majestic America Line of Seattle, WA, has experienced numerous other operational problems in the past. Coast Guard records accessed by MarEx indicate at least two other marine casualties involving this vessel, including a main engine failure in February of this year, the loss of the ship’s power on December 26, 2005, a non-specific marine casualty in September 2004 and an allision occurring at the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam on the Snake river in October of 2003. The incident also brings into question the wisdom of sending stern-wheeler type vessels out to sea, especially in the unpredictable and sometimes unfriendly environment of Alaska’s offshore sea.
NTSB investigators now say that the ship was equipped with state-of-the-art navigation technology. Early reports say that the rock hit by the vessel was both charted and lighted. The vessel was also equipped with a voyage data recorder which NTSB investigators hope will bring the situation into better focus. A preliminary assessment of the vessel’s condition indicates considerable damage to the hull, including several large holes in the side of the double-hulled vessel.
The vessel, which arrived in Juneau under its own power, is now undergoing a thorough assessment and the incident is being investigated by both the United States Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB will assume the lead role in the investigation. A Coast Guard cutter escorted the vessel back to the berth. The Empress of the North was reportedly on the second day of a seven day cruise of Alaska's Inside Passage that commenced on Saturday, May 12.