Report: High Speed, Angle Of Approach Cause Of Carnival Ship Allision

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- High speed and angle of approach is being blamed for an allision involving a Carnival Cruise ship at the Cruise Maryland Terminal, in Locust Point, in May 2016.

Investigators say the ship was working just fine. The problem was with the crew.

According to a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the Carnival Pride cruise ship's staff captain, second in command, allowed the ship to approach the pier at too steep of an angle, and too a high rate of speed.

A passenger bridge was wrecked, three parked cars were crushed and jolted passengers still on board.

The captain tried to correct the problem, but was unable to stop the accident.

According to the report, as the voyage wined down, command of the ship, shifted from the pilot to the staff captain, or second in command.

RELATED: Carnival Pride Cruise Ship Crashes While Docking, No Injuries Reported

"I heard like a crash and felt it. And then you heard something from the outside crashing as well," said passenger Debbie Squires.

Officials are demanding answers.

"We are eager, as much as Carnival and the Coast Guard to find out exactly what happened," said Richard Scher, spokesman for Port of Baltimore.

The pride was returning from the Bahamas.

The ship only suffered minor damage. Terminal staff and everyone on the ship made it out OK.

Passengers said it could have been much worse.

"Very lucky that nobody got hurt," Squires said.

The NTSB is not blaming anyone for the crash. Adding that the point of this was to find out the facts. There was more than $2 million in property damage caused by the allision, but no injuries were reported.

The captain involved in the crash is from Maryland and has 20 years of navigation experience.

A new elevated, enclosed and climate-controlled passenger walkway has since replaced the original one that was destroyed in May. It has been in use at the Port of Baltimore's cruise terminal since February 25.

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