An engineering problem onboard Holland America Line’s ship Nieuw Amsterdam has caused the death of two crew members, the cruise line has confirmed.
The incident occurred on the morning of Friday 22nd March while the ship was docked at Half Moon Cay, the private island destination belonging to the cruise line.
In the announcement made onboard the ship, the captain stated that it was a steam leak which had killed the crew members shortly after 9am.
The ship is otherwise structurally sound and, barring a short delay for leaving the port, it is continuing on its journey back to Fort Lauderdale to complete the cruise on schedule.
The fire alarms sounded during the incident, and emergency alerts were issued across the ship’s intercom system, so guests were aware that something was happening, but they were not called to their muster stations.
Later that day, the captain announced the crew members’ deaths to everyone onboard, and informed everyone that an investigation would be taking place.
The cruise line later issued statements through official channels and social media. The personal details of the crew members are being kept confidential for now.
Incidents such as this are extremely rare on cruise ships, so it is particularly shocking. The cruise line has confirmed that counselling services are being offered to all team members for the cruise line who may have been impacted.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
