Insane moment Celebrity Edge cruise ship gets dangerously close to Hawaii coast

Hawaiian state officials issued a warning to cruise ship operators that they will be “closely monitoring” the coast on Friday after a Celebrity Edge ship appeared to be dangerously close to Kauai’s Na Pali a month ago.
Photos and videos show the massive ship in shallow waters near the coast, where divers, kayakers and swimmers roam, according to officials.
Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) chair Dawn Chang sent the companies a letter and announced that authorities were launching an investigation. However, the state probe failed to produce evidence that the ship violated rules to stay 3,000 feet from shore, per HawaiiNewsNow.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) launched an investigation last month after social media posts appeared to show the ship coming too close to shore.
“DOCARE determined there is insufficient evidence that supports probable cause or that there is clear and convincing evidence to pursue any criminal or civil action at this time,” DLNR said in a news release.
Upon the ships return to the island, officers interviewed the captain who said he had total control of the ship and was “always in waters of not less than 30 meters depth,” though he was “unclear” how far the ship was from shore.
Witnesses on Kauai also could not say with certainty that the ship had sailed too close to shore.
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“Some witnesses did not wish to be involved in the investigation and others only had second-or-third-hand information or repeated what they saw on social media,” the release said.
“While DOCARE’s investigation could not conclude that the cruise ship, carrying more than 50 passengers, was traveling within 3,000 feet of the shoreline, community concerns and photographs appear to show the ship was indeed much closer to shore,” DLNR chair Dawn Chang said in a letter addressed to Celebrity and other cruise lines on Friday.
He added: “This incident created a tremendous amount of angst in the community, as this area is highly protected and valued for its natural beauty and cultural significance.
“We are putting the industry on notice that the DLNR and the community will be closely monitoring activity not only along the Nāpali Coast, but throughout our state ocean waters.”
Royal Caribbean Group, Celebrity’s parent company, told USA Today:“We have robust policies in place to maintain compliance with local regulations around the world.”
It added:”We will continue to assess our policies and take necessary steps to ensure we continue to operate in the most responsible manner possible.”
The Hawaii Tourism Authority previously confirmed that a second cruise ship was also under investigation, but did not disclose the vessel or line.