Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Anthem of the Seas (above) returned to her berth at Cape Liberty in New York harbour on the night of 10th February after her battering at the hands of a Hurricane storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with winds of 150- 160 knots (172-184 mph), comparable to a Category 5 hurricane.

There were also reports of 30-foot waves but the ship rode out the storm, sustaining superficial damage to her fixtures and fittings both internally and externally. The port side azipod unit failed (all four clutches burned out) and one satellite dome was smashed but all passengers and crew were safe.

A later cruise itinerary was curtailed on 28th February to enable the ship to avoid another nasty storm.