Norwegian Dream, Some Thoughts About The New Collision
December 29, 2007 by Cruise Arizona
Filed under Features
I hadn’t paid much attention to the reports of the Norwegian Dream crashing into the a container ship until I read a humorous account of the incident by a passenger who was on the cruise. His lighthearted report about making the best of a bad situation has been a big hit with Cruise Critic members.
I did a little more research and found that this is the second time that the Norwegian Dream has run into a container vessel. Back in 1999, the Norwegian Dream collided with a container ship during rough seas in the English Channel. This incident was much more frightening and resulted in a fire on board the container ship EVER DECENT. The December 14th, 2007 collision thankfully did not result in any injuries. However, several containers and vehicles plunged into the Monte Video channel resulting in the channel being closed. This blocked the channel and prevented the Celebrity Infinity from leaving port that night. The ship’s Captain was replaced after the incident.
After looking at the pictures, I just can’t understand how such a crash could happen. The information did say the barge was adrift, so perhaps the Captain did not foresee the barge drifting into the ship’s path, but surely this crash should have been avoided.
I found several interesting pictures of the 1999 crash damage and the 2007 incident.
The Dream after the 1999 collision.
Dec 2007 Collision Sequence:
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I have not examined the waiver clause but the standard clause covers the earth and the sky. However, the significant question which the article suggests that the collision should have, could have been avoided which was not. The captain was replaced as it was his first commission to command a ship of this size. This fact was announced in the ship. My wife, Mira Sharma and I were one of the passengers aboard and it is only fair that if and when the settlement is reached with general damages, it should be prorated and distributed to the passengers. The compensation hardly covered any thing. B.H.Sharma,suite 301-2240 West Lincoln Avenue, Anaheim CA 92801-6555.I would like to be kept informed of further progress. Thanks.
I was a passenger on the 1999 Norwegian Dream collision. The article here states the collision happened in choppy waters. The sea was calm, skies were clear. The problem was not choppy waters or poor visibility, it was human error. The captain and majority of the bridge crew was of Norwegian decent. The day of the accident, the ship was in port in Oslo-their hometown. Family members of the crew were touring the ship and drinking on board all day. Other crew members were visiting friends on shore. Crew members were not alert on the bridge at one in the morning. The cargo ship we collided with was 10 stories high and well lit. Several passengers on balconies saw the cargo ship heading toward us, but not the crew. The captain and other officers were escorted off the ship by Norwegian brass immediately at arrival in Dover.
This is what Wikipedia reports about the accident:
On 24 August 1999, the Norwegian Dream was involved in a collision with the container ship Ever Decent while en-route from Zeebrügge, Belgium to Dover, England. Although her bow was damaged, the Norwegian Dream continued to Dover under her own power. Damages to the Ever Decent were minimal.[1] The power on the Ever Decent was off due to a fire that occurred, and there was dense fog in the area causing the Norwegian Dream to be unable to see it and run into it.[citation needed] Although there were no fatalities, the accident raised some criticism of the lack of oversight and the safety of non-United States -registered cruise vessels. Following the accident, the Norwegian Dream was repaired at Lloyd Werft.