Queen Victoria - hit quay in Malta, 20ft dent c/w small hole above waterline to stern - Page 2

**Ally** · 05-15-2008, 03:59 AM

My TA has passengers on her at the moment, I told my TA about the accident and he is looking forward to hearing all about it when they get home next week.

**Ally** · 05-15-2008, 05:18 AM

Queen Victoria is now underway and sailing towards Gibraltar, she should be arriving on May 17.

**Ally** · 05-15-2008, 05:23 AM

As a footnote, a male passenger aboard QV was taken off the ship and hospitalised after complaining of chest pains. No information is available as to the passengers identity or condition or if he rejoined the ship prior to her leaving Malta this morning.

**neil** · 05-15-2008, 05:36 AM

Hi

Many thanks for the update.

Neil

**Ally** · 05-15-2008, 03:11 PM

Update...

Quote:

Cunard cruise ship lines, described as the most famous Ocean liners in the world, is mulling over the idea of taking legal action against Maltese port authorities after Wednesday’s incident, when the luxurious Queen Victoria hit the quay along the Valletta Waterfront.

On her first of six stop-overs in Malta scheduled for this year, the Queen Victoria got a bloody nose (on the stern) when it bumped into the quay in a mooring manoeuvre.

The £300 million luxury liner left Valletta harbour early on Thursday morning after repairs on the ship’s dented stern were made overnight.

A spokesperson for Cunard ships told maltastar.com that it is “too early to say whether we will be taking any legal steps while the investigations are still taking place.”

Sources explained that there is a high possibility that the shipping line will be taking legal action against local port authorities. The reason is because the ship was being piloted by a Maltese captain. Port regulations stipulate that large ships – over 500 gross tonnage – are piloted by a Maltese pilot provided by local Port Authorities.

Yet, local authorities are insisting that the ship developed a mechanical failure and hit the quay. The unofficial reason for the incident is in fact that the 90,000 tonnes liner’s throttles got stuck while manoeuvring in the port and the ship kept moving towards the quay until it hit it.

Wednesday’s incident totted up the number of bad luck incidents to the Queen Victoria to 3 in the first 6 months of sailing.

The captain, local agents Thomas C. Smith and crew did not lie back and think of England, so to speak. Local shipping industry and port authority workers told us that in no time at all the Malta Dry Docks surveyors were summoned to do a thorough damage assessment and technical survey.

Ship-chandlers were called in, we were told by suppliers, to acquire sufficient extra steel sheets and iron bars to augment the emergency supplies on board.

Malta Dry Docks personnel did the necessary repairs to make 100% sure the ship will be able to make next port with no worries. On board technicians will carry on working round the clock to secure the safety factor to 1,000% a local ship agent told us.

Meanwhile, the passengers were given extra time ashore although they were welcome to use the ship's hotel and catering facilities as usual.

maltaStar.com

**Ally** · 05-15-2008, 03:20 PM

Cunard are really being very silly if they want to sue the Maltese over this fiasco. The ship is due to call in Malta several more times, are they seriously thinking of changing all the itineraries round at this stage of the game? Cos that's what they will be forced to do...the Maltese will distance themselves from the ship and the company if Cunard sue them...or even try it.

Cunard cannot have it both ways...either it was a mechanical defect or it wasn't and so far it has been agreed that it was a mechanical defect.

Now perhaps CCL Group are thinking that if this defect has occurred on QV, what might the chances be of it repeating on QV and the rest of the Vista class vessels in the group fleets...Arcadia, Oosterdam, Zuiderdam, Westerdam etc?

This latest episode with QV could have long standing consequences for everyone...Cunard, the Maltese and future passengers expecting to cruise to Malta.

**Ally** · 05-16-2008, 07:34 AM

Quote:

An estimate of the damage caused to the Queen Victoria and to the quay at Pinto Wharf will be known some time next week, The Times has learnt.

Industry sources said the investigations being conducted by Viset, the operators of the Valletta Waterfront, and Cunard, the shipping line which owns the Queen Victoria, are expected to be concluded next week. It is only after these surveys are completed that the extent of damage can be established and estimate of the costs drawn up.

The ship was manoeuvring to berth at Pinto Wharft on Wednesday morning when it accidentally hit the quay, damaging its stern.

The massive cruise liner sailed out of Grand Harbour at 6.30 a.m. yesterday after shipyard employees applied a mixture of cement and rapid hardener on the damaged part of the ship in order to make sure that no water seeps in until she arrives in Southampton. The ship left Malta for Gibraltar and is expected to arrive there tomorrow. She was originally meant to sail out on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Contacted yesterday, Viset general manager Chris Paris said that, luckily, the Queen Victoria hit the strongest part of the quay so the damage to it was limited.

Mr Paris said Wednesday's incident was an unfortunate one that coincided with the ship's maiden visit to Malta. Referring to yesterday's report on The Times in which he said that the ship's captain was ultimately responsible for what happened, Mr Paris clarified that, according to international maritime practice, the pilots assist the master of a vessel into harbour but the responsibility of the vessel still remains that of the captain.

The incident was blamed on a mechanical failure: A malfunction of the throttle. Maritime industry sources described this, in layman's terms, like reversing a car which continues to move back even when the driver would have shifted to first gear.

The ship is carrying 1,884 passengers and 1,024 crew. Wednesday's was the first of six visits planned for this year.

She should be back at Grand Harbour on August 30 during a cruise departing from Barcelona in Spain and ending in Rome on September 6.

timesofmalta.com - Damage estimates by next week

**neil** · 05-16-2008, 08:03 AM

Hi

It sounds as if only a temporary repair has been carried out to the ship while she was at Malta !

Lets hope any viabrations from the ships engines do not cause it to work loose !

She will no doubt now have to be dry-docked, for proper repairs to be carried out, which could mean at least one cruise being cancelled.

Neil

**Ally** · 05-16-2008, 08:06 AM

Well apparently she will still feature as a TA visit ship in Southampton on May 20 and will be leaving for a 7 night Norwegian Fjord cruise later that day. However if she does lose that 'filling' in her stern, whilst cruising the Bay of Biscay for example, then plans will need to be altered.

Certainly not a good first few months of service for the ship though.

Barbee524 · 05-16-2008, 10:09 AM

I'm really starting to believe in the curse of the "unbroken champagne bottle". I don't think I'll be booking onto the Independence of the Seas as they had the same problem with their christening.