MS Sea Breeze
Encyclopedia
The SS Sea Breeze was a cruise ship
that made headlines when its passengers were unloaded mid-way through their cruise and the vessel was put under arrest in Halifax Harbour
. The ship then sank in international waters three months later.
, the Caribbean
and Venezuela
. The ship had a major refit in 1968, then added Caribbean cruises between trans-Atlantic trips. Federico C did cruises exclusively from 1972 to 1983, when the boat was sold.
In 1983, Premier Cruises
obtained the ship and named it the Royale; it became the StarShip Royale in the same year. In 1988, the ship was renamed the SeaBreeze when it was placed in service for Dolphin Cruise Lines
. One year later, the ship was refurbished. Premier took possession of the ship when it acquired Dolphin in 1997. When Premier went out of business in September 2000, the ship was ordered to immediately cease operations. At the time, it was docked at a Canadian port.
/Virginia
. when the ship's boiler allegedly broke off and damaged the ship.
The investigation into the sinking of the Seabreeze I caused international concern, based upon numerous suspicious incidents, including the fact that the ship was likely to fetch only between $5 and $6 million for scrap
, but had a $20 million insurance policy on it. The cruise ship sank in international waters flying the Panamanian flag, making Panama
responsible for the investigation of the sinking of the boat.
The ship's captain told U.S. Coast Guard rescuers that his boat was in imminent danger of sinking as a result of its engine room being flooded in high winds and 25-foot seas. At the time, the Coast Guard rescuers believed that it was highly unlikely for a ship that large to sink that quickly, and were astonished when the Greek captain demanded that he be exfiltrated from his boat, rather than stay aboard it and try to shepherd it to shore and recovery. Subsequently, all 34 crewmembers were rescued; there were no passengers on board.
At the time of the sinking, Steven Cotton of the International Transport Workers' Federation
in London stated that he wished that the ship, which went down 225 nautical miles (417 km) off the Virginia coast, had gone down 25 nautical miles (46 km) closer to the coast because that would have put the case in the hands of American investigators.
According to Cotton, "Panama's track record of carrying out comprehensive investigations into vessel sinkings is not very good."
The vessel had just been purchased by Cruise Ventures III, a subsidiary of New York-based DLJ Capital Funding
and was traveling from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Charleston, South Carolina
.
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
that made headlines when its passengers were unloaded mid-way through their cruise and the vessel was put under arrest in Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.-Harbour description:The harbour is called Jipugtug by the Mi'kmaq first nation, anglisized as Chebucto...
. The ship then sank in international waters three months later.
History
This ship was built in 1958 by the Ansaldo Sestri Ponente shipyard in Italy as the Federico C. The ship was the first new ship built for the Costa Line. The ship was initially liner service between Genoa, Italy and Buenos Aires, Argentina via Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1966, she began service between Genoa, Italy and FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. The ship had a major refit in 1968, then added Caribbean cruises between trans-Atlantic trips. Federico C did cruises exclusively from 1972 to 1983, when the boat was sold.
In 1983, Premier Cruises
Premier Cruises
Premier Cruises was a cruise line holding company formed in the early 1990s that focused on the family cruise market as well as on developing cruise operations in new geographic markets...
obtained the ship and named it the Royale; it became the StarShip Royale in the same year. In 1988, the ship was renamed the SeaBreeze when it was placed in service for Dolphin Cruise Lines
Dolphin Cruise Lines
Dolphin Cruise Lines was a shipping line that owned a fleet of ships such as the , , and SS IslandBreeze. In 1997, it was bought out by Premier Cruise Line, and all the ships kept their names, but were put in Premier Cruise Line colors.-Disasters:...
. One year later, the ship was refurbished. Premier took possession of the ship when it acquired Dolphin in 1997. When Premier went out of business in September 2000, the ship was ordered to immediately cease operations. At the time, it was docked at a Canadian port.
Sinking
In December 2000, it sank off the coast of North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
/Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. when the ship's boiler allegedly broke off and damaged the ship.
The investigation into the sinking of the Seabreeze I caused international concern, based upon numerous suspicious incidents, including the fact that the ship was likely to fetch only between $5 and $6 million for scrap
Scrap
Scrap is a term used to describe recyclable and other materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has significant monetary value...
, but had a $20 million insurance policy on it. The cruise ship sank in international waters flying the Panamanian flag, making Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
responsible for the investigation of the sinking of the boat.
The ship's captain told U.S. Coast Guard rescuers that his boat was in imminent danger of sinking as a result of its engine room being flooded in high winds and 25-foot seas. At the time, the Coast Guard rescuers believed that it was highly unlikely for a ship that large to sink that quickly, and were astonished when the Greek captain demanded that he be exfiltrated from his boat, rather than stay aboard it and try to shepherd it to shore and recovery. Subsequently, all 34 crewmembers were rescued; there were no passengers on board.
At the time of the sinking, Steven Cotton of the International Transport Workers' Federation
International Transport Workers' Federation
The International Transport Workers' Federation is a global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. In 2009 the ITF had 654 member organizations in 148 countries, representing a combined membership of 4.5 million workers....
in London stated that he wished that the ship, which went down 225 nautical miles (417 km) off the Virginia coast, had gone down 25 nautical miles (46 km) closer to the coast because that would have put the case in the hands of American investigators.
According to Cotton, "Panama's track record of carrying out comprehensive investigations into vessel sinkings is not very good."
The vessel had just been purchased by Cruise Ventures III, a subsidiary of New York-based DLJ Capital Funding
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette or DLJ is a defunct U.S. investment bank founded by William H. Donaldson, Richard Jenrette and Dan Lufkin in 1959. Its businesses included securities underwriting; sales and trading; investment and merchant banking; financial advisory services; investment research;...
and was traveling from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
.