A fatal incident on a Holland America cruise ship has resulted in the death of two crew members, according to confirmed reports. The accident took place on Friday, March 22, 2024, in the engineering compartment of the Nieuw Amsterdam vessel, stationed at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. The ship had started a seven-night journey from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on March 16.

The Florida-based Holland America Line reported the occurrence in an official statement without mentioning the identities of the deceased crew members: “On Friday, while the Nieuw Amsterdam was anchored at the privately owned island of Half Moon Cay, an unexpected steam discharge in one of the ship’s engineering compartments led to the deaths of two crew members.”

The cruise line’s statement noted that both the Bahamas Maritime Authority and the Dutch Safety Board are investigating the exact circumstances of the steam discharge.

An attorney specializing in maritime affairs from Miami reported the casualties to be third engineer Joseph Terrado and Wawan Gusnawan, employed as a wiper, a position usually tasked with the upkeep and cleaning of engineering areas. One held Philippine citizenship, while the other’s nationality remained unspecified.

Passenger Laine Doss shared her experience when the captain informed the ship passengers about the fatalities, “The captain’s request for a moment of silence led us all to a deep reflection on the events.”

Holland America Line also announced that counseling services are available for crew members who require support. “This incident deeply saddens all of us at Holland America Line, and our thoughts and prayers are with our team members’ families at this difficult time,” the statement read.

After the ship returned to Fort Lauderdale, it resumed its schedule, embarking on a new trip with a planned stop at Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Deaths among crew members on cruise ships are relatively rare, but they highlight the potential hazards on these vessels. Research from Bowling Green State University reveals that between 2000 and 2019, there were 623 documented deaths on cruise ships, with 89% of these being passengers and 11% crew members. The pandemic has also been associated with non-coronavirus-related fatalities among crew members stranded on cruise ships.

Separate from this incident, there was another problem on a Florida-based cruise ship in the Bahamas—the Carnival Freedom. On Saturday, March 23, a fire in the ship’s port-side exhaust funnel caused concern among passengers and necessitated the temporary withdrawal of the ship from service for repairs, as per the cruise line. No casualties were reported in this incident.

In a statement on Sunday, Carnival Cruises acknowledged witness accounts of a possible lightning strike or thunder before the fire.

Passenger Heath Barnes described the ship’s diversion to Freeport due to rough weather and strong winds when the fire erupted. “I was taken aback,” he stated. “Seeing black smoke and flames coming from the back of the cruise ship isn’t normal.” Barnes also recalled hearing “a deafening thunderclap, the likes of which I’ve never heard” just prior to the fire.

According to the cruise company, the crew successfully extinguished the fire.

The cruise line stated that after an assessment by their technical team, the damage was significant enough to require immediate repairs before the ship could continue its regular sailing schedule. The funnel’s condition was stabilized, and the plan was to return passengers to Port Canaveral while the ship went to Freeport for necessary repairs.

Carnival Cruises indicated that the damage was more severe than initially estimated, necessitating immediate repair of the funnel. As a result, the upcoming cruises scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on March 25 and 29 were canceled.