ekerr19
September 26th, 2004, 12:20 PM
I was checking the website, www.cruisenewsdaily.com (http://www.cruisenewsdaily.com/) for any information about the Rotterdam and came across this post from someone just returning from the Zaandam... has anyone heard about this? I hope the ship isn't badly damaged...
Thursday, September 23
* From the glad we're going home department: It was kind of a close call for Holland America's Zaandam yesterday. The ship was on it's last Alaskan cruise of the season and docked in Skagway. Docked behind it was Alaska Marine Highway's new fast ferry, Fairweather, which was attempting to leave and got out of control in the wind becoming entangled in Zaandam's mooring lines. Before it was stopped, the ferry partially-severed three of the five of Zaandam's two-inch-think mooring lines (they have already been replaced), and put a crack the metal on its own bow, apparently when it struck a mooring dolphin. The ferry never actually struck Zaandam, but it appears it was a close call. State officials seemed so concerned about their ferry they weren't even sure at first which cruise ship was involved. There's probably a little disappoint around the statehouse that a collision didn't occur, because if it had, and Zaandam had leaked even only a little oil, no doubt they would have fined poor old HAL for polluting, helping to ease the state's budgetary problems.
Thursday, September 23
* From the glad we're going home department: It was kind of a close call for Holland America's Zaandam yesterday. The ship was on it's last Alaskan cruise of the season and docked in Skagway. Docked behind it was Alaska Marine Highway's new fast ferry, Fairweather, which was attempting to leave and got out of control in the wind becoming entangled in Zaandam's mooring lines. Before it was stopped, the ferry partially-severed three of the five of Zaandam's two-inch-think mooring lines (they have already been replaced), and put a crack the metal on its own bow, apparently when it struck a mooring dolphin. The ferry never actually struck Zaandam, but it appears it was a close call. State officials seemed so concerned about their ferry they weren't even sure at first which cruise ship was involved. There's probably a little disappoint around the statehouse that a collision didn't occur, because if it had, and Zaandam had leaked even only a little oil, no doubt they would have fined poor old HAL for polluting, helping to ease the state's budgetary problems.