Investigation into vessel accident Kingstown Cruise Terminal
The splendid ACE, a car boat, remains stranded in Port Kingstown, St. Vincent, having sustained a significant hole in the forward hull while attempting to dock at the cruise ship berth in the island’s capital on Sunday morning.
The Port Authority in St. Vincent in the following statement said:
“The breach in the vessel, located just above the waterline, poses multiple operational challenges and necessitates a comprehensive professional assessment of the damage before its secure removal from the current location.”
While the port did not clarify what the vessel may have struck, Sources familiar with the theories informed the St. Vincent Times that the vessel probably struck an underwater object, necessitating the offloading of more cargo than usual to prevent water intrusion.
“They perform a dive to guarantee that nothing can come into contact with the ship’s hull.” In this instance, as the hole emerged midway along the waterline prior to the ship’s offloading, it is conceivable that it encountered an object in the vicinity. Nevertheless, additional investigation will yield more information in due time”.
According to two additional sources, divers typically inspect the berthing area prior to the arrival of the ships.
The vessel offloaded cargo in Saba, Venezuela; Trinidad; and Barbados before docking in St. Vincent.
