Cruise ship owner sues Canadian gov’t after vessel runs aground

Adventure Owner Ltd. of Nassau, Bahamas is suing the Canadian government because its cruise liner M/V Clipper Adventurer ran aground in the Northwest Passage last summer.

The company says the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is at fault for not providing information about an underwater rock shelf. The charts on the vessel showed a depth of 29 meters at the point of the grounding but in reality there were only three meters of water.

200 passengers were transported by the Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker to the ship's destination of Coppermine.

The owners are seeking over $15 million in damages from the government, including $12 million for repair and salvage costs for hull damage, $2.6 million for loss of business plus $300,000 in additional costs.

Questions are being raised as to the vessel owner's culpability: Why did they not use a local pilot in those difficult waters of the Northwest Passage? Had they obtained updated charts? Did they use a depth sounder?

Source: Cruise Law News.com