Jul 26, 2006 5:26 am US/Eastern
Princess Ship's Tilt Caused By Human Error
Company President Says So In Letter To Passengers
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ―
Human error caused a Brooklyn-based cruise ship to abruptly tilt at sea last week, sending furniture and debris flying about and injuring 240 passengers, a cruise line official said.
Though federal investigations continue, Princess Cruises president Alan Buckelow wrote in a letter to passengers that "the incident was due to human error, and the appropriate personnel changes have been made."
No further specifics were given in the letter, which was dated Monday and posted on the company's Web site.
Company spokeswoman Julie Benson said in a telephone interview Tuesday that some crew members had been reassigned.
"The captain remains in command of the ship. We have the utmost confidence in him," she said. "It was an isolated situation, and I think passengers generally understand that."
The Crown Princess unexpectedly heeled to its side last week shortly after departing Port Canaveral, where it had stopped before a scheduled return to New York to complete a nine-day Caribbean cruise.
The ship, carrying 3,100 passengers and 1,200 crew, tilted an estimated 16 to 18 degrees, tumbling passengers, chairs, tables and other objects and seriously injuring at least 20 people.
Those aboard described a terrifying interlude in which they were certain the 113,000-ton ship would tip over, and customers received full refunds for the journey.
More than 90 people were taken to hospitals, two with critical wounds. As of Monday all but one had been released.
The ship returned immediately after the incident to Port Canaveral, on Florida's east coast, but departed again for New York two days later and picked up a new load of passengers for a similar, shortened cruise.
A Coast Guard spokesman declined to comment on the cruise line's statement except to say the agency's investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board wasn't complete.
At the time of the incident, seas were calm. The ship was on autopilot, with its captain, Andrew Proctor, away from the bridge. The company earlier said Proctor has worked for it nearly 35 years and had an "exemplary record."
Princess is one of 12 brands operated by Miami-based Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator. The Crown Princess was christened just last month before embarking on its maiden voyage to the Caribbean from its home terminal in Brooklyn.
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(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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