Cruise Ship Incident Claims Two Lives Aboard Holland America Vessel

A spokesperson for Holland America Line confirms to Cruise Radio that an “incident in an engineering space” on board one of their ships has taken the lives of two crew members. The tragedy took place late Friday afternoon just off the coast of Half Moon Cay.

Cruise Ship Incident Being Investigated

While little is known about exactly what happened, a representative for Holland America Line confirmed to Cruise Radio that the incident unfolded upon the Nieuw Amsterdam.

“We regret to share that while calling at Half Moon Cay, the Bahamas, there was an incident in an engineering space on board Nieuw Amsterdam which sadly resulted in the death of two crew members,” the spokesperson reported. “The appropriate authorities were notified, and the cause of the incident is currently being investigated.” No further details as to how the situation unfolded are currently available. “All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this incident,” the statement continued, “and our thoughts and prayers are with our team members’ families at this time. The safety, security and welfare of all guests and crew are the company’s absolute priority.”

With that in mind, the line is “offering counseling services to team members who may have been affected by this incident.”

What Happens Next?

Passengers on board the ship offered up details in a post on the Cruise Critic message boards, which as of yet, have not been confirmed by the line. “The captain came on [the speaker system] and indicated we had a steam leak and that they were evacuating some crew cabins above the engine rooms,” one passenger reported.

Soon after, they continued, the all-clear was sounded. “At about 3 p.m., the Captain came on and said two crew members had been killed..” While there was no information provided as to how this might impact the ship’s itinerary, passengers reported that the ship was being held at Half Moon Cay pending the unfolding investigation.

While earlier reports indicated that there may have been other injuries, that has not been confirmed.

Half Moon Cay is a private island owned by Holland America Line’s parent company, Carnival Corporation. The Nieuw Amsterdam was constructed in 2008 and entered service in 2009. She is capable of carrying approximately 2100 passengers and 925 crew members. She is the fourth ship in Holland America Line’s history to operate under Nieuw Amsterdam.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that the incident involved a fire.