In The Bahamas, Holland America recently experienced a tragic incident on board the Nieuw Amsterdam ship that resulted in the deaths of two crew members due to an accidental steam release in an engineering space. The ship’s captain held a moment of silence for the deceased crew members and expressed his sorrow over the incident.
The cruise company has expressed deep sadness over the event and is working closely with the families of the deceased crew members to offer support during this difficult time. All of the ship’s systems were reviewed and determined to be fully operable by independent surveyors of the Dutch government and confirmed by the US Coast Guard.
One passenger on board, Laine Doss, described the somber atmosphere on the ship following the announcement of the deaths. She mentioned that many events on board were canceled as a result of the incident. Deaths on cruise ships are rare, with a total of 623 people reported to have died between 2000 and 2019, including 66 crew members and 557 passengers. The Nieuw Amsterdam has a crew of 929 and can carry 2,106 passengers.
Holland America stated that they are committed to learning from this event to prevent similar incidents in the future. They have also assured that safety is always their top priority and they are collaborating with investigators from various authorities such as Bahamas Maritime Authority and Dutch Safety Board to understand what led to this tragic accident.
