Pilot Falls into Ocean off Hawaii Attempting to Board Princess Cruise Ship
Passengers onboard Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess are reporting a scary event, which, however, had a positive outcome. The pilot coming out to meet the ship fell into the ocean, prompting an emergency Man Overboard call, while fast-acting crewmembers on the pilot boat were able to rescue the individual, apparently not seriously injured.
Travel agent and cruise passenger Walter Biscardi Jr. posted the details on his social media and recounted them to People.com.
The 113,561 gross ton cruise ship, which is registered in Bermuda, was making port calls in a series of the Hawaiian Islands. On Tuesday, February 10, the ship was due to make a port call in Kuai. According to Biscardi, the seas were rough, and the ship was rolling as the captain was maneuvering offshore and waiting for the pilot. He said they were waiting for about 20 minutes with severe winds blowing in the area.
Large cruise ships sometimes position themselves or make a series of turns attempting to create a lee alongside for the pilot boats. It is unclear if Princess was attempting that on Tuesday morning. The Emerald Princess is 951 feet (288 meters) in length. It has a capacity of 3,080 passengers and 1,200 crew.
“Then Man Overboard was called….I immediately ran out,” Biscardi writes in his social media posting.
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He told People that the pilot had apparently made multiple attempts to get onto the ladder to board the cruise ship. Biscardi believes the pilot slipped off the ladder into “the churning ocean.” From his cabin balcony, he said it appeared the pilot remained calm and was directing the pilot boat, which was able to quickly get alongside the man in the ocean. Biscardi reports he could see two crewmembers from the pilot boat hoisting the pilot back aboard the boat.
Needless to say, the port call was canceled. The cruise ship proceeded to its next stop, which was Maui.