BOSTON (WHDH) - A Boston Harbor cruise ship with more than 300 passengers on board struck six sailboats after losing control in Boston Harbor Thursday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A mechanical failure caused the captain of the Odyssey ship to lose control of the vessel around 11 a.m. before hitting the boats, officials said.
Several students from the Day Middle School in Newton were on the ship for a field trip during the incident while a separate party was taking place.
“It was like really scary,” said Marlena Spataro, ho was on the boat to celebrate her 8th-grade graduation. “We were on the top deck of the boat and they made us get down to the first and second levels because the sails from the sailboats were starting to come down and they didn’t want us to get hit by the sailboats.”
Vernon Fritch, an instructor with the Boston Sailing Club, was forced to jump from one boat into another to avoid the oncoming ship.
“It actually backed into us,” he said. “It pushed both boats back about 100 feet into the moorings.”
Officials say 328 people on board. Nobody was hurt.
Don Symington, the owner boat rental business on the harbor, heard the Odyssey’s horn sound five times as it traveled through the water in reverse.
“Somehow they were not able to get it out of reverse and the boat just kept going with seemingly no way to stop it,” he said. “The people on the boat were screaming.”
The party went on as planned after the ship returned to the dock, officials added.
Tricia Cha, the mother of a passenger on the boat, said her daughter rolled with the commotion.
“She just texted and I said are you guys docked? She said yeah, we never left, we went out, hit a couple of boats and turned around. Not getting off yet cause we’re having too much fun.”
The captain of the ship was tested for possible alcohol consumption.
“The Coast Guard, Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Environmental Police and Boston Fire Department immediately responded to ensure no one was hurt,” said Captain Claudia Gelzer, Sector Boston Captain of the Port. “We are investigating the cause to prevent future accidents.”
The Coast Guard is investigating the incident. The ship is scheduled to be inspected tomorrow morning and should be back on the water tomorrow afternoon.
Odyssey Boston released a statement about the incident below:
At around 1105 today, Odyssey experienced a brief loss of throttle control as she departed from her dock. The Captain took immediate action to minimize the drift backwards into the mooring field, where the vessel unfortunately made minor contact with boats at anchor. There were no reported injuries or significant damage, and all 328 guests remained on board and completed their event dockside.
In accordance with our stringent protocols and Federal regulations, the United States Coast Guard was immediately notified, and we are working with them to resolve the issue. Our marine crew have identified the cause of the malfunction and are making the necessary repair to ready the ship for its return to service. We expect to be sailing again shortly. While these types of incidents are rare, we are fully prepared and equipped to handle them. As a company, we take the safety of our guests and crew very seriously, and operate our vessels to the highest marine safety standards. The company has an exemplary record, and has served millions of guests in over 30 years cruising Boston Harbor.
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