Meteorologists: Royal Caribbean blew it by sailing into storm

By Gene Sloan and Doyle Rice, From USA TODAY

Royal Caribbean should have known better.

That’s the word Tuesday from weather experts who closely monitored the development of the storm that rocked the line’s Anthem of the Seas on Sunday and Monday.

The 168,666-ton vessel should not have sailed southward from New York into the path of the growing weather system, which eventually packed winds of up to 100 mph and created waves higher than 20 to 30 feet, WeatherBell meteorologist Ryan Maue told USA TODAY.

“The risk was easily avoidable as the storm was well-forecast by private and public forecasting outfits,” Maue said.

Government weather watchers noted the possibility of a large storm in the Atlantic on Friday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ocean Prediction Center issued its first alert at 1 p.m. Friday for hurricane-force winds Sunday in the Atlantic, according to NOAA spokeswoman Susan Buchanan. Another warning came from the Ocean Prediction Center in the offshore waters forecast at 3:34 p.m. Saturday, Buchanan said. The warning predicted hurricane-force winds increasing to 63 to 75 mph, in effect through Sunday night.

Another climate watcher, Southeast Regional Climate Center climatologist Jordan McLeod, suggested that, at the very least, Royal Caribbean is guilty of poor weather analysis.

“Did Royal Caribbean know about the forecast for a potentially dangerous storm in the days prior to the ship’s departure? If so, I would say it was negligent for them to sail through that area given that passenger safety should be their first priority,” McLeod said.

If they didn’t know about the storm, McLeon said the company “should invest either in an in-house meteorological staff or someone to consult with the National Weather Service for cruise-specific weather forecasts.”

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez on Tuesday told USA TODAY the line couldn’t immediately comment on its decision to allow Anthem to sail toward the storm as it still was gathering information. But in a tweet on Monday, the line said the storm had been “unexpectedly severe,” and a Monday statement from the line said wind speeds were higher than what was forecast.

Such comments on Tuesday prompted well-known TV weather forecaster Al Roker to rebuke the line on air. “Royal Caribbean’s claim that this was not predicted is bullfeathers,” he told Today show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer.

Hurricane-force winds and giant waves lashed Anthem for hours during the storm, sending furniture tumbling, smashing glass and collapsing part of a ceiling in a public corridor. While just four passengers were injured, according to the line, many reported being terrified. Royal Caribbean on Monday canceled the remainder of the sailing, and the vessel headed back to its home base in the New York area.

“The cruise ship can easily take that pounding but the passengers inside surely did not have an enjoyable experience,” Maue noted. “Airlines take exceptional care to route traffic around areas of turbulence or rough air to avoid preventable injuries or damage to the aircraft. In the case of Royal Caribbean, the ship was routed into an area of ocean that would experience hurricane conditions.”

Federal authorities could examine Royal Caribbean’s decision to allow Anthem to sail toward a storm so strong that the captain confined passengers to their cabins for safety. Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida on Monday called for a National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the event.

“The thing about this storm was that it was forecast for days,” Nelson said Monday on the Senate floor. “So why in the world would a cruise ship with thousands of passengers go sailing right into it?”

Nelson is the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the NTSB.

The Ocean Prediction Center issued its warning before Anthem departed Saturday afternoon from its home base in Bayonne, N.J., in the New York area, for what was supposed to be a seven-night cruise to Florida and the Bahamas. The ship hit the storm less than 24 hours later as it sailed southward off the Carolinas.

Royal Caribbean’s decision to sail toward the storm could open it to liability from passengers, according to a maritime lawyer who often is involved in litigation involving cruise lines.

“A strong case could be made that the cruise line ignored several weather predictions of the storm and imperiled the passengers’ safety,” said Jim Walker of Miami firm Walker & O’Neill.

Royal Caribbean is legally responsible for any physical injuries suffered by its passengers, Walker said. While there are exceptions, Walker said cruise lines typically are not liable when passengers suffer from fear and anxiety caused by rough weather as long as they weren’t physically injured.

The event could take its biggest toll on the cruise line’s reputation.

“Such a visually striking event is sure to bring bad publicity, and so it did,” said longtime industry watcher Mike Driscoll, who edits the industry newsletter Cruiseweek.

But Driscoll doesn’t expect huge fallout. The New Hampshire primary and the Super Bowl may distract people from the incident, he said.

“No winter season is without a cruise ship nightmare story, and 2016 is no exception,” he said, noting the sinking of the Costa Concordia in 2012, during which 32 people died, and occasional norovirus outbreaks, which have sickened hundreds of passengers.

“It will have a short-term effect, but no long-term impact on national cruise business,” Driscoll said.

Christened in April 2015, Anthem is tied with sister vessel Quantum of the Seas as the third-largest cruise ship ever built. Royal Caribbean said the vessel currently is carrying 4,529 passengers and 1,616 crew members.

About the ship

USA TODAY Cruise was among a handful of U.S. media outlets to get early access to Anthem before its christening in Southampton, England. For our deck-by-deck tour of the vessel’s interior areas and cabins, see images.

MAIN IMAGE: Some of the damage to Royal Caribbean’s ship Anthem
Some of the damage to Royal Caribbean’s ship Anthem of the Seas on Feb. 8, 2016. The ship ran into high winds and rough seas in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday, forcing passengers into their cabins overnight. (Photo: Flavio Cadegiani via AP)

For more on this story and video go to: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/02/09/royal-caribbean-anthem-cruise-storm/80051782/

See also iNews Cayman story published February 10 2016 “Giant Royal Caribbean ship damaged in ‘extreme’ storm will return to port” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/giant-royal-caribbean-ship-damaged-in-extreme-storm-will-return-to-port/