Reckless Drunk on Cruise Ship Throws Furniture Into the Sea

On board the MSC Baltic Princess, a passenger named Otto Kranni was caught on video shamelessly throwing large pieces of on-board furniture into the ocean. Surrounded by his fellow employees from his Finnish construction company Pimura Oy, Kranni was filmed chucking tables, chairs and other pieces of furniture into the open sea. After returning home from the Turku-Stockholm route on board the MSC ship, Kranni was fined $10,000.00 for damage caused to ship property, and it appears as though a criminal investigation is still underway. Kranni was later seen a few days ago on Finnish national television publicly apologizing for his actions; he went on in the interview to describe how his behavior has affected his construction business and reputation. As a Maritime personal injury attorney, I come across bizarre and often disturbing Cruise Ship related incidents, but the behavior showcased in this video definitely goes down as one of the most upsetting things I have seen for a number of reasons, and violates a plenitude of laws both moral and legal.

What Could Go Wrong?

It might seem obvious why the actions of Otto Kranni on board the MSC Baltic Princess are wrong, but I believe there is merit in elaborating precisely why his recklessness was so shortsighted. Firstly, and perhaps most obviously, throwing any large and heavy object over your balcony on a cruise can be an extremely dangerous and deadly thing to do. You never know who might be sun tanning below, and heavy winds around the bow of the ship might unexpectedly cause objects you anticipated to hit the water to actually crash into the lower decks and potentially kill somebody.

Secondly, there are serious environmental violations that come with polluting large objects into the open water. Other than the ethical issues concerning ocean pollution, there are fines and serious legal repercussions cruise ships have in place for environmentally negligent passengers. Cruise lines themselves are consistently fined for illegal dumping, toxic waste mismanagement, and the overwhelming pollution of toxic chemicals, plastics, sewage and oil. According to NPR, Carnival Cruise Line was sued in 2019 for $20 Million dollars on account of pollution and noncompliance with environmental standards; and in 2016, Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival, was fined $40 million for the same charges.

Otto Kranni’s drunken act of pollution, although miniscule when compared to a day of cruise ship operation, was still in violation of a passenger agreement contract signed by the purchasing of the ticket, and might worsen the fines and investigation for Kranni moving forward.

What To Do If You’re Injured on a Cruise Ship?

Cruise Lines see millions of passengers a year and operate as massive metropolises floating over the open sea. With any large and concentrated city comes crime, fires, injuries and death. As a lawyer who has sued major cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Oceania, Princess, etc, I have been able to advocate for and successfully compensate injured passengers for decades. If you have been injured on a cruise line, there are some immediate things you must consider if you wish to take legal action.

Firstly, it is imperative you seek appropriate medical attention after your injury. If you are injured while on the ship, it is likely you will visit the onboard medical center. These medical facilities often employ professionals who are not licensed to practice medicine in the United States, and I have handled a multitude of cases where malpractice, negligence, and misdiagnosis has taken place in these onboard pseudo-hospitals. It is important you do not sign any pieces of paper at these medical facilities before speaking with an attorney. This is because cruise lines will do what they can to make it seem as though the injury was mostly your fault, and signing anything could be an admission of culpability.

After you are injured, it might also be helpful for your case if you gather evidence of the incident; this could mean photographing your injury, the environment where it took place, and anything related that could help your claim. Our law firm of experienced attorneys recommends you contact us as soon as possible after an injury so we can begin guiding you through the process of receiving the justice you deserve.