Authorities Drop Probe on Cruise Ship Reportedly Sailing Near Shoreline

Celebrity Cruises has escaped legal action after being accused of breaking Hawaii state law.

Last month, Celebrity Edge was reported to authorities after several residents noticed the ship was suspiciously close to the shore of the Na Pali coast on Kauai. The cruise line was investigated but this was halted as officials “failed to find evidence.” 

Celebrity ship reported by concerned residents

An existing state law bans ships carrying 50 or more passengers from sailing within 3,000 feet of the Na Pali Coast shore. The 2,908-passenger Celebrity Edge was reported by several local people and recorded on video.

Pressure mounted to take action against the cruise line after it was documented on social media posts. Based on video and photos, Kauai community leaders said the ship appeared to be in shallow waters around 1,000 feet from the coast.

Residents alerted Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officials. The agency dispatched a team to Honolulu, where the Celebrity Edge later docked. Officials boarded the ship and interviewed the captain and ship’s master. 

Distance from the shoreline “inconclusive’

The captain said the vessel remained at least 30 meters deep water but could not confirm the exact distance from the shoreline.

DOCARE then interviewed several witnesses on Kauai who had seen it from land. None could say with certainty that the ship had violated the 3,000-foot rule. Members of the Hawaii Tourism Authority also assisted in the investigation. 

“DOCARE determined there is insufficient evidence that supports probable cause or that there is clear and convincing evidence to pursue any criminal or civil action,” the agency said. 

Celebrity Edge sailed along the Na Pali coast, as it could not call at Maui because of devastating wildfires that had destroyed the town of Lahaina.