Prinsendam
Passengers should embark and disembark by the gangway only. Three stories, two of them tragic, of unusual arrivals and departures from cruise ships last week.
On the Holland America cruise ship, Prinsendam, passengers were shocked when a powered hang glider made a crash landing on the upper deck while the ship was docked in Portimao last week. The 25-year-old Brazilian pilot suffered a broken leg.
Prinsendam takes a battering
Not so fortunate were two passengers on two gambling ships based in Hong Kong. A 51 year old gambler named Xu leapt to his death in an apparent suicide from the top deck of the gambling ship SuperStar Aquarius after losing HK$5 million ($650,000) playing baccarat last week. On the cruise ship, MV Macau Success, also last week, a woman was allegedly pushed overboard to her death. A 47-year-old man from mainland China will appear in a Hong Kong court today charged with the murder.