In early February 2016, the Anthem of the Seas of Royal Caribbean’s fleet was slammed by 100 mile per hour winds and waves 30 feet tall after the cruise liner’s captain made the decision to sail right through a strong Atlantic storm. The course was plotted between New Jersey and Port Canaveral in Florida but soon literally ran into trouble as the ocean battered the vessel. Extensive interior damage occurred onboard, as evidenced in numerous passenger videos and photographs of devastated dining halls and decks. In the end four injuries among passengers were reported.
The incident immediately began raising concerns and brows. Any wind force between 96 mph and 110 mph is considered to be category 2 hurricane strength and extremely dangerous, according to the National Hurricane Center. Furthermore, the storm had been accurately forecasted days in advance, so why did Royal Caribbean allow its ship to sail into it?
Is It Safety or Profits First?
Florida Senator Bill Nelson has called for additional measures to be put into place to ensure that cruise liners do not make similar decisions in the future. The current suspicion is that the ship stayed on course despite the danger to meet deadlines and save the company money. Even though no official changes in legislation have been made due to the recentness of the story, the Senator’s plea has not gone unnoticed. Only one month later in early March 2016, the Anthem of the Seas cut two trips short to avoid powerful storms, one in the north Atlantic. Royal Caribbean cited that it had implemented a revised storm avoidance policy since the February incident.
As far as compensation for the people onboard the February cruise, Royal Caribbean has refunded their tickets but no other compensation has been mentioned yet. It is unclear if the injured parties will create injury lawsuits or if a settlement is being worked privately.
At Michael C. Black, P.A. , our Miami cruise ship accident attorney have 50+ years of collective maritime law experience. If you were injured aboard the Anthem of the Seas or otherwise feel as if Royal Caribbean owes you compensation for inconvenience or traumatization, contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation with our board certified trial lawyers.