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Cruise Ship Storm Video Goes Viral

Published Mar 12, 2017 5:45 PM by The Maritime Executive

Footage of Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas sailing through a storm in February 2016 is again making headlines as it goes viral on social media.

The footage was taken by musician Stephen Burke as the vessel was on her way to Port Canaveral, Florida, and encountering 100mph winds and 30-foot waves. The ship was carrying over 6,000 people when it was forced to turn back and return to New Jersey.

Royal Caribbean said at the time that the storm was more severe than expected.

After the incident, the cruise line announced that it would strengthen its storm avoidance policy and add resources in its Miami headquarters to provide greater assistance to its captains at sea.

Late that month, Royal Caribbean cancelled another Anthem of the Seas’ itinerary as a result of a storm building up on the U.S. east coast. The company said the decision was made with passenger safety and comfort in mind, after the earlier incident on February 7.

The captain of Anthem of the Seas explains the storm’s development here.

Damage the ship suffered is explained here.