National Transportation Safety Board

Heeling Accident on M/v Crown Princess Atlantic Ocean off Port Canaveral, Florida, July 18, 2006 National Transportation Safety Board

This report discusses the July 18, 2006, accident on the cruise ship Crown Princess in which the vessel heeled at a maximum angle of about 24°, resulting in injuries to 298 passengers and crewmembers. The vessel?s second officer, the senior watch officer on the bridge, had disengaged the automatic steering mode of the vessel?s integrated navigation system and taken manual control of the steering in an effort to counteract a perceived high rate of turn to port. He turned the wheel first to port and then between port and starboard several times, causing the vessel to suddenly heel and people to be thrown about or struck by unsecured objects. The Crown Princess incurred no structural damage, although unsecured interior items were damaged. The NTSB?s investigation of the accident identified safety issues and made recommendations to the U. S. Coast Guard, to the Cruise Lines International Association, and to SAM Electronics and Sperry Marine (manufacturers of integrated navigation systems).