Partial Sinking of Small Passenger Vessel Spirit of Adventure

What Happened

The Spirit of Adventure, a 99-gross ton catamaran small passenger vessel, flooded and partially sank while alongside its pier in Seward Boat Harbor, Alaska, before dawn on December 6, 2014. The vessel was out of service for the winter, and no one was on board. No injuries or pollution occurred as a result of the sinking. Damage to the vessel and its pier was estimated at $2 million, and the vessel was declared a constructive total loss by its insurer. The Spirit of Adventure was one of eight vessels operated by Major Marine Tours on sightseeing tours from Seward to Kenai Fjords National Park and Prince William Sound, Alaska.

What We Found

​​The probable cause of the partial sinking of the Spirit of Adventure​ was the failure to ensure watertight integrity during the vessel’s winter maintenance period, which resulted from the operator’s lack of a formal safety system, including a lock-out/tag-out policy and a vessel winterization procedure.

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