In December 2019, the Star Princess cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Norway. The incident occurred near the island of Tromso, north of the Arctic Circle. The ship was en route from Tromso to Longyearbyen when it struck a shoal and began taking on water.
At the time of the incident, there were over 1,000 passengers and crew on board. Fortunately, all passengers and crew were safely evacuated with no injuries reported. It took several hours for a rescue operation to be organized and for everyone to be safely brought ashore.
The Star Princess was built in 2004 and is operated by Princess Cruises. It is a large cruise ship that can accommodate up to 3,100 passengers. After the incident, it was towed back to port in Tromso for inspection.
Investigation
The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) conducted an investigation into the cause of the incident. The investigation revealed that human error was responsible for the accident.
The investigation found that there had been insufficient communication between bridge officers and navigational personnel on board the ship.
The NMA also found that there had been insufficient training and oversight of navigational personnel onboard. Furthermore, they discovered that some navigational equipment onboard was not functioning correctly at the time of the incident.
Outcome
As a result of their investigation, Princess Cruises has implemented a number of changes to ensure this type of incident does not happen again in future. These include improved training protocols for bridge officers and navigational personnel onboard ships as well as increased oversight from senior management.
Conclusion
The Star Princess cruise ship ran aground off Norway in December 2019 due to human error and inadequate training protocols for navigational personnel onboard. Thankfully, all passengers and crew were safely evacuated with no injuries reported. Following an investigation by Norwegian authorities, Princess Cruises has implemented changes to ensure this type of incident does not happen again in future.