BAYONNE – The super cruise ship which ran into 100-mile-per-hour winds and 30-foot waves off the coast of the southeastern United States has turned around and is headed back to its home port in Bayonne.
Anthem of the Seas, the third largest cruise ship in the world, encountered the turbulent weather on Sunday, Feb. 7, damaging an interior public area and guest cabins, and reportedly injuring four people.
Anthem was originally headed for Port Canaveral, Fla., before turning around for Cape Liberty Cruise Port, according to Royal Caribbean Cruise Line spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez. It is expected to arrive back in Bayonne on Wednesday.
Those on the ship reported sounds of metal twisting and of seeing vases, overturned furniture, and pieces of ceiling crashing onto the floor.
The damage Anthem sustained “in no way affected the sea-worthiness of the ship,” Martinez said. She said that the ship experienced wind speeds higher than what was forecast.
“In an abundance of caution, the captain asked all guests to stay in their stateroom until the weather improved,” Martinez said.
The captain said that Sunday was one of his worst days ever at sea.
A U.S. senator is calling for a National Transportation Safety Board investigation into why the ship left port when a storm had been forecast for days.
Royal Caribbean will provide each guest with a full refund of the fare paid for the cruise. They will also provide each person with a future cruise certificate for 50 percent off the cruise fare paid.
“We appreciate the patience and cooperation of our guests,” Martinez said. “We know it was tough day on Sunday and apologize for their discomfort. We also thank our captain and crew for guiding the ship safely back to better weather.”
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