Anthem of the Seas, a 1,141-foot Royal Caribbean cruise ship, is being examined by the Coast Guard to determine whether it can sail after being damaged in an intense storm this week.
The ship, which is scheduled to sail on Saturday, returned to its home port in Bayonne, New Jersey, on Wednesday after part of its propulsion system was damaged in a storm that packed hurricane-force winds and
30-foot waves, The Associated Press reported. The ship had 4,500 passengers and 1,600 crew members aboard at the time.
Four passengers sustained minor
injuries in the storm, CNN reported. One passenger, Maureen Peters, described clinging to her mattress as the storm tossed the ship around on Sunday off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
"That boat should have never gone out," she said.
The storm had been predicted, spurring criticism of Royal Caribbean, whose senior vice president, Bill Baumgartner, said discretion over whether to leave port is up to the captain.
Baumgartner told CNN that the storm was more violent than predictions indicated.
"We simply didn't anticipate that it could be 125 mile-per-hour winds," he said.
The company issued an apology to passengers and said it will refund their fares along with vouchers for 50-percent-off a future cruise.
“The obvious first lesson of this unfortunate voyage is that a winter cruise from New York harbor around Cape Hatteras may not be such a
good idea,” maritime website gCaptain noted. “The weather can get very rough. In this case, extremely rough.”
That website described the damages to the vessel as “superficial” and noted that the lights stayed on and passengers were able to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday uninterrupted.
“No doubt the captain, officers, and crew deserve much credit, but so too does the ship,” gCaptain said, adding that cruise ships “are a lot more seaworthy than they look.”
Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe said in an email Friday morning that the ship should be ready to
sail again as scheduled, NJ.com reported.
"Based upon progress made over the last two days, it is anticipated that Anthem of the Seas will be able to sail as scheduled," he said. "However, repairs must be fully completed and tests of critical systems — anything related to safety of the vessel and its passengers and crew — must be conducted."