What To Consider In The Wake Of The Bahamas Tragedy If You're Planning A Cruise Holiday
Known for their luxurious surroundings and services, it’s no wonder so many people love going on cruise holidays. They’re pretty special! But for the passengers onboard a Holland America vessel journeying into the Bahamas in the spring of 2024, their dream holiday turned into something of a nightmare. Two members of the crew lost their lives in a tragic “incident,” raising broad questions about the industry’s safety protocols. Here we’re going to take a closer look at what happened, and cover some of the basics if you’re thinking about taking a cruise holiday for the first time.
The Nieuw Amsterdam
The tragedy took place on a ship called the Nieuw Amsterdam, which had been traveling through the eastern region of the Caribbean in March 2024. It’s quite the vessel, boasting a crew of over 900.
As for its passenger capacity, more than 2,000 people can stay on the ship when it takes to the sea. So what happened on that fateful voyage? How did those two unfortunate crew members lose their lives?
“An accidental steam release”
Well, a representative from Holland America provided some key details to the Business Insider website in the aftermath, and the statement made for upsetting reading. Speaking on March 30, they had this to say.
The spokesman revealed, “We regret to share that on Friday, March 22, while calling at Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas, there was an accidental steam release in an engineering space on board Nieuw Amsterdam, which sadly resulted in the death of two crew members.”
Identifying the victims
As per USA Today, their names were Wawan Gusnawan and Joseph Terrado. They each had different jobs on board the cruise ship, with Terrado serving as Nieuw Amsterdam’s third engineer.
Gusnawan, meanwhile, worked as a wiper. That particular role required him to keep the engineering areas clean and operational. Unsurprisingly, the manner of their tragic deaths left everyone concerned in a state of shock.
“Deeply saddened”
“All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this event,” a representative told USA Today via email. “We’ve been in contact with the families of both team members and are offering our support to them and to all of our crew at this difficult time.”
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That “support” was definitely needed; one passenger recalled how the news had been broken by the captain. To say there had been an abrupt switch in mood would be a major understatement.