RADIANCE OF THE SEAS

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More than 180 people suffered from gastrointestinal outbreak

More than 180 people got sick in a gastrointestinal outbreak during a cruise of the 'Radiance of the Seas', that ended on Sep 27, 2024. Among 2,172 passengers on the ship, 180 reported being ill along with three crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their main symptoms were abdominal cramps, diarrhea, headache and muscle aches. The health agency listed the causative agent as unknown. The ship was on an Alaska cruise at the time. The sailing left from Vancouver, Canada, on Sep 20. The ship also made announcements about the outbreak and encouraged “good hand hygiene” and case reporting, among other steps. The CDC has logged 10 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that met its threshold for public notification in 2024. Norovirus was listed as the causative agent in every instance but three.

Report: Overreliance on electronic chart, miscommunication and outdated navigational chart contributed to allision

Overreliance on an electronic chart, miscommunication and an outdated navigational chart were factors in the allision of the 'Radiance of the Seas' with the cruise terminal pier near Sitka, Alaska on May 9, 2022, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on June 13, 2023. The ship struck a mooring dolphin while docking at the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal, causing a minor hull indentation and damage to three of the four pilings supporting the dolphin. While there were no injuries to the 1,375 passengers, 782 crew and four pilots on board, the incident resulted in $2.1 million in damages to the pier and impacted cruise ship traffic to the terminal for the remainder of the 2022 season. The NTSB’s investigation found that the crew of the 'Radiance of the Seas' relied heavily on the vessel’s electronic chart and information system (ECDIS) and an outdated navigational chart to plan and execute the docking. In April 2021, the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal pier was extended by 395 feet, including adding two mooring dolphins connected by a walkway and a 410-foot-long floating dock next to the existing dolphins. However, the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal did not inform the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency in charge of updating U.S. coastal nautical charts, of the extension. In fact, the NOAA had no record of the construction until NTSB investigators informed them of the pier’s extension after the contact. While docking, the bosun and master did not confirm the type of distances that were being communicated during the docking. The bosun was relaying accurate distances to the pier’s northernmost dolphin, but the master incorrectly assumed the bosun was calling out how much clearance the ship would have as the stern passed the dolphin. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the contact was the master and bridge team’s overreliance on an electronic chart to identify the pier’s position relative to their planned rotation location, and the master’s misunderstanding of the clearance distances to the pier being called by the crew member on the stern while the vessel was rotating. The Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal’s failure to report the extension of the pier contributed to the incident. Report with photo: https://gcaptain.com/cruise-ship-crew-relied-on-outdated-chart-before-striking-pier-in-alaska/

Minor oil spill during bunkering

About 100 litres of diesel spilled into Wellington Harbour while the 'Radiance of the Seas' was taking on fuel in the afternoon of Nov 25, 2019. Initially, there were fears of up to 800 litres being spilled. The official estimate was earlier about 400 litres but this was reduced on Nov 26 to fewer than 100 litres. The diesel leaked out of shore-based pipe work and ended up on the docks with a bit leaking into the water at Aotea Quay wharf. Report with photos: http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=124084