Crew, passengers survive Caribe Queen ordeal
Terresa McCall
Reporter - SKNVibes.com
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The MV Caribe Queen
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The MV Caribe Queen, its crew and passengers have been described as being “blessed” having survived a situation which could have resulted in mass tragedy.
The vessel left Nevis at about 6:30 yesterday evening on a routine run bound for St. Kitts when, as SKNVibes understands, just minutes before it was to have berthed at the Ferry Terminal in Basseterre, one of the vessel’s propellers collided with a rock impairing the vessel.
The crew of a nearby vessel, recognizing that the ferry was in distress, sought to provide assistance but these efforts proved futile.
In the haste and ensuing panic, some cried out in fear for their lives while others attempted to becalm the frantic passengers.
The captain of the MV Caribe Queen, Rawl “Ingy” Richards, according to reports, called for the assistance of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Coast Guard which arrived on the scene within minutes.
The passengers were offloaded from the damaged vessel, loaded onto the Coast Guard Vessel and taken safely to shore.
The ordeal, from start to finish, lasted an approximate one hour and 15 minutes. ~~Adz:Right~~
SKNVibes spoke with one of the passengers on the vessel who explained that her first reaction, after hearing the sound produced by the collision, was fear but having tapped into her faith in God, she managed to calm herself.
“I was scared. My first reaction was fear and I began crying but then I thought of God and my faith in Him and I calmed myself and began to pray. After I prayed, I felt a sense of calm and I started singing, ‘Praise is what I do’. There was another lady behind us and she was praying also and she called her pastor and asked him to pray and he did. I am thankful that not much persons were on board the boat because the panic would have been even greater. It was a really scary situation but God brought us through,” the passenger explained.
The passenger also explained that she now has a renewed appreciation for life as she realizes that, in the blink of an eye, her life could have been snatched away.
“I had called my son shortly before the incident occurred and I told him that I would arrive in St. Kitts in a couple of minutes and then this incident happened. It just goes to show the fragility of life. I think we should really use this incident and reflect on our lives,” she added.
SKNVibes caught up with another passenger who explained that he was not at all daunted by the experience and drew from his confidence in the expertise of the vessel’s captain.
“There was a sound and then the people started to panic. I had confidence in the captain’s ability to take full charge of the boat and full responsibility for the passengers onboard. Some of the passengers were scared and they prayed and so on. I was, at times, telling them that we were going to be ok. The captain came and he did his job by alerting the passengers about what was going on,” another of the passengers said.
The passenger expressed gratitude to the captain for the professionalism, placidity and patience he exhibited.
“The Captain did a very splendid job to save and to look after his passengers. Even when the Coast Guard vessel came, he gave them some direction which made the transfer much easier,” the passenger revealed.
He also suggested the all parties involved should devise a workable Rescue Strategy which can be employed in the event that a similar incident occurs in the future.
