Celebrity Summit experienced a bit of excitement last week when, while sailing
in Yakutat Bay after a visit to Hubbard Glacier, it made contact with a rock
on the water bottom. The ship at that point was under the control of an Alaska
state pilot, and, according to Celebrity spokesman Michael Sheehan, the impact
did not cause much of a stir. “Officers on the bridge noticed but that was about
it.”
In fact, Summit continued on and arrived, on schedule, the next day at Valdez,
its scheduled port-of-call. At that point, Celebrity, consulting with the U.S.
Coast Guard and Lloyd’s Classification Society, sent divers down to investigate
the damage. Hampered by murky water, they were able to make out minor damage
to one blade of a starboard propeller. Summit was given permission to sail on
to Seward, the final port on its schedule. While enroute, officers monitoring
tanks noticed that a ballast was showing high water levels, so when Summit arrived
in Seward, additional divers were sent down and this time found a slice in that
tank that measured ten feet by five inches.
Passengers – most of whom were unaware that any kind of problem existed – debarked
as normal, and Summit embarked its next round of travelers. When it was determined
that the ship needed to stay put for repairs – ultimately it departed on Sunday
rather than Friday as scheduled – cruisers were offered $300 per cabin credits
and got to spend an extra day in Seward.
The ship set off again Sunday night, with its first call – ironically – coming
at Hubbard Glacier. This time, Summit departed without incident and has continued
on with a slightly-abbreviated itinerary – skipping Juneau and Skagway but still
calling at Ketchikan.
Passengers on that journey also have been offered certificates worth 50 percent
off their next Celebrity cruise.
