Storm Hinders Anthem of the Seas Latest Voyage

RCL The recently damaged cruise ship Anthem of the Seas has turned around from its most recent voyage to avoid another storm, the vessels owner Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd said. The Miami-based company yesterday tweeted that the 2015-built cruise vessel was on its way back home to Bayonne, New Jersey, due to a severe storm. The move comes less than a month after the Bahamian-flagged vessel, carrying over 6000 people, encountered a hurricane-force storm with 75 mph winds and nine-metre waves off Cape Hatteras which damaged the ship’s public areas and cabins. Due to the incident, Anthem of the Seas passengers filed two lawsuits against Royal Caribbean stating the company’s alleged negligence as the reason. The passengers claim that the company was knowingly sailing directly into a hurricane, maritime lawyers and cruise ship attorneys Lipcon said. Following the incident, Royal Caribbean informed that it identified gaps in the voyage planning system and started working on improving the performance, adding that the storm had exceeded forecasts. World Maritime News Staff