Marine Accident Brief: Contact of Cruise Ship Carnival Horizon with Manhattan Cruise Terminal Pier 90
Executive Summary
On the morning of August 28, 2018, the cruise ship Carnival Horizon , with a total of 6,361 people on board, was maneuvering to berth no. 2 at Manhattan Cruise Terminal’s Pier 88 in New York City, New York, when its bow struck the southwest corner of adjacent Pier 90. No one was injured and no pollution occurred, but Pier 90’s walkway, roof parking garage, and facilities suffered extensive structural damage, and the ship sustained minor damage above the waterline, totaling about $2.5 million in cumulative damage.
Probable Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the Carnival Horizon’s contact with Pier 90 was the ineffective interaction and communication between the master and the docking pilot who were maneuvering the vessel, and the bridge team’s ineffective oversight of the docking maneuver. Contributing was the placement of the third officer in a location without view of the bow to monitor the close approach to Pier 90.
