On 3 June 2016, the Malta-flag cruise ship ‘Celebrity Infinity’ allided with berth 3 in Ketchikan, Alaska, sustaining a 9-inch-diameter hole on the forward port side, about 12 feet above the waterline. The berth suffered extensive damage to the catwalks and pilings of an estimated cost about $1.15 million. The US NTSB issued an investigation report on the accident.
Probable cause NTSB determines that the probable cause of the Celebrity Infinity’s allision with the dock was the master’s failure to plan, monitor, and execute a safe docking evolution. Investigators compared wind readings from the Celebrity Infinity’s two anemometers to readings obtained from the official airport anemometers located at nearby Ketchikan airport, when the vessel passed the airport about half an hour before the accident, and found them to closely match. The master said he discussed the docking evolution with the pilot, and the staff captain said he discussed the expected wind for docking with the master; however, it is unclear if the three of them discussed the docking evolution together, as nothing was heard on the VDR. The master told investigators that the weather conditions were discussed at the pre-arrival brief; however, investigators’ review of the VDR and CCTV revealed the master and pilot did not participate in the brief and also showed them standing away from the area where the pre-arrival brief was held, looking forward, and conning the vessel. Further, the VDR did not record the four people who did attend the pre-arrival brief―staff captain, first officer, safety officer, and third officer―discussing the weather conditions. Investigators were left with the impression that a clear mental model of the docking evolution was not shared by the entire bridge team. The brief also noted that tugboats were available in Ketchikan. Investigators viewed the CCTV recordings from cameras located at the port bridge wing The master told investigators he ordered the starboard anchor to be dropped when the vessel was about 450 meters from the dock because he felt that the bow of the vessel was rapidly approaching the dock and the bow thrusters were unable to slow the motion of the bow. According to VDR and CCTV, the anchor was dropped at 1353. Both the master and the staff captain told investigators that the master took over the conn at this point; however, the ship’s logbook does not reflect a change of conn from the staff captain to the master and nothing was heard on the VDR to indicate the master had the conn. Further, CCTV footage showed the master, pilot, and staff captain operating the bow thrusters and the master and the staff captain operating the pods after the anchor had been dropped. The pilot told investigators that dropping the starboard anchor slowed the motion of the bow toward the pier. He said he then ordered chain to be paid out so the vessel could move forward and toward the dock, but the VDR recording captured the master’s order as “hold the anchor.” According to the pilot, the thrusters and anchor were able to control the bow but “whatever maneuvers they made with the pods weren’t sufficient to hold the ship and it made a hard landing on the dolphins back there.” At 1355, with the after part of the vessel pivoting toward berth 3, the VDR recorded someone shouting, “the stern, the stern!” and, at 1356, the vessel allided with the berth. The force of the allision opened a 9-inch-diameter hole in the vessel’s port side between frames 231 and 233, about 12 feet above the waterline. Further details may be found in the following report:
conning station and listened to the VDR recording of the vessel approaching the berth. The port bridge wing camera showed all three men looking toward the port side of the vessel and forward as the vessel neared the dock. Between 1352 and 1353, the staff captain looked toward the stern three times but did not appear to say anything on the CCTV footage, nor did the VDR record him saying anything at that time.
