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Massive cruise ship nearly hit tour boat in foggy Halifax harbour: report

FILE: The massive cruise ship Anthem of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International, dwarfs HMCS Ville de Québec, a Halifax-class frigate, in Halifax on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016.
FILE: The massive cruise ship Anthem of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International, dwarfs HMCS Ville de Québec, a Halifax-class frigate, in Halifax on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016. Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press

A new report says a massive cruise ship carrying 2,770 people narrowly missed a smaller tour boat in thick fog last summer in Halifax harbour.

The Transportation Safety Board report, released Thursday, says the Summer Bay, with 39 people on board, was just 25 metres away when it crossed the bow of the cruise ship Grandeur of the Seas.

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It says the smaller boat’s captain made a number of mistakes – he thought there was other traffic in the harbour when he misinterpreted radar data, but didn’t slow down or take other steps to verify the information.

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It also says he was incorrect about his location in the harbour at the time.

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There was no collision and no one was hurt.

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The report says the owner of the Summer Bay – Murphy’s the Cable Wharf – has developed standard operating procedures for its vessel masters in reduced visibility conditions.

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