Officials claimed a Carnival ship caught fire and a Holland America ship lost two crew members in the Bahamas this weekend.
Holland America announced on Sunday that the two crew members of the Florida-based Nieuw Amsterdam perished Friday during a "accidental steam release" while stopping at Half Moon Cay.
"There was an accidental steam release in an engineering space on board Nieuw Amsterdam, which sadly resulted in the death of two crew members," the ship said.
Holland America claimed the Bahamas Maritime Authority and Dutch Safety Board were examining the release's cause. The crew members' identities and cause and manner of death were not immediately provided by the Bahama Coroner's Court.
The cruise line promised to take investigation results carefully. "Safety is always our top priority, and we are working to understand what, if anything, can be learned from this tragic accident," said. Laine Doss stated she was on board when the captain announced the deaths over the P.A.
“He broke down crying,” Doss added. "The captain asked silence. That scenario affected the entire voyage. We canceled joyful festivities and pondered about the ship's victims."
Dutch government inspectors declared the ship "fully operable," and the U.S. Coast Guard "confirmed" this, the cruise line stated. A Coast Guard spokesman said she was investigating the statement and could not confirm it. Holland America reported the Nieuw Amsterdam returned Saturday to Fort Lauderdale, disembarked tourists, and began a voyage that stopped in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on Monday.
"All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this event," said the cruise line. "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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