Skip to main content

Accidents

MONARCH OF THE SEAS (1998)

MONARCH OF THE SEAS struck Proselyte Reef after departing St. Maarten and was intentionally grounded on a Great Bay sandbar to control flooding. The joint Norwegian Maritime Investigator and United States Coast Guard report records major vessel damage, slight oil pollution, evacuation of all 2,557 passengers, and no loss of life.

Classification

  • Incident Type: Grounded
  • Severity: High
  • Investigation: Joint Maritime Investigator, Oslo / United States Coast Guard, Report 02-208-FP

The official investigation attributed the casualty to several bridge and voyage-planning failures. The report also found that the master's decision to ground the vessel after the reef strike reduced the consequences of the flooding.

Vessel Details

FieldValue
Vessel NameMONARCH OF THE SEAS
Vessel TypeCruise
Flag StateNorway [NO]
IMO Number8819500
Call SignLAMU4
Gross Tonnage73937
LOA (m)268.33
Breadth (m)
Power (kW)20490
Owner/OperatorAnders Wilhelmsen & Co. / Royal Caribbean International
TEU
Year Built1989
Crew Size831
Passengers Aboard2557

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date1998-12-15
LocationProselyte Reef, Great Bay, Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Coordinates18.0168, -63.0415
RegionCaribbean Sea
Fatalities0
Injuries
Missing
Cargo Loss
Direct Damage
Economic Damage
Insured Loss
Salvage/Cleanup Cost

Key facts

  • At about 01:30 local time on 15 December 1998, the vessel struck Proselyte Reef at approximately 12 knots after departing Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
  • At about 02:35, the master intentionally grounded the vessel on a Great Bay sandbar to control flooding. The official report records major bottom damage and slight oil pollution.
  • All 2,557 passengers were evacuated by about 05:15. The joint report records no loss of life; the available sources do not establish final injury or missing-person counts.
  • NOAA reported an approximately 40-by-2-metre starboard hull gash, three breached tanks, and an initial estimate of 100 gallons of diesel released. The report does not establish a final pollution quantity or monetary damage estimate.
  • The investigation found that the departure plan and track were not properly prepared or verified, the chart was not corrected to Notices to Mariners 32/98, and the bridge relied on a buoy and ARPA without adequate cross-checking.

Narrative

MONARCH OF THE SEAS arrived at Philipsburg at about 00:30 to evacuate a sick passenger and completed that operation before departing at about 01:25. At approximately 01:30, while proceeding at about 12 knots, the vessel raked Proselyte Reef. The master then intentionally grounded the vessel on a sandbar in Great Bay at about 02:35. This action controlled the flooding and allowed the evacuation to proceed. All 2,557 passengers had been evacuated by about 05:15.

The joint investigation identified failures in voyage planning, chart correction, position verification, bridge resource management, and master supervision. The report describes the Officer of the Watch's reliance on the Proselyte Reef buoy as the sole navigation reference and records that the master did not adequately verify the intended track. It also considered a hotel telephone call and the master's urgent need to use the toilet as possible immediate distractions, while finding that alcohol was not a contributing factor.

NOAA's incident record describes an approximately 40-by-2-metre starboard hull gash, three breached tanks, and an initial diesel release estimate of 100 gallons. The vessel was later refloated, sailed to Mobile for repairs, and returned to service after extensive bottom and internal-steel replacement. A final monetary damage figure is not established in the sources reviewed.

Sequence of events

Date/timeEvent
1998-12-15 00:30 localMONARCH OF THE SEAS arrived at Philipsburg to evacuate a sick passenger.
1998-12-15 01:25 localThe passenger evacuation was completed and the vessel departed.
1998-12-15 01:30 localThe vessel struck Proselyte Reef at approximately 12 knots.
1998-12-15 02:35 localThe master intentionally grounded the vessel on a Great Bay sandbar to control flooding.
1998-12-15 05:15 localEvacuation of all 2,557 passengers was completed.

Contributing factors

FactorEvidence statusDescription
Inadequate voyage planning and track verificationConfirmed findingThe joint report found that the departure plan, track, and position checks were not properly prepared or verified.
Uncorrected chart informationConfirmed findingThe chart had not been corrected to Notices to Mariners 32/98.
Reliance on a single buoy and ARPA without adequate cross-checkingConfirmed findingThe bridge team used the Proselyte Reef buoy as the sole navigation reference and did not establish sufficient independent position checks.
Inadequate master supervision and bridge resource managementConfirmed findingThe investigation identified failures to communicate, challenge, monitor, and use available bridge-team defenses.
Hotel telephone call and urgent toilet needSuspectedThe report considered these circumstances as possible distractions during the departure, but they are not presented as the sole causal explanation.

Investigation

The Joint Maritime Investigator in Oslo and the United States Coast Guard conducted a joint investigation under Report 02-208-FP. A maritime inquiry was held on 18 and 19 December 1998. The report concluded that the casualty involved multiple human-performance deficiencies and failures to follow the operator's safety-management procedures, including voyage and port planning, checklists, chart correction, position fixing, and bridge resource management. It separately found that the intentional grounding after the reef strike reduced the damage and protected personnel.

References

Similar incidents