After a thorough review, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its findings after an investigation into the incident involving the Carnival Pride in Baltimore last May, when the ship collided with the port’s boarding bridge.

The result of the incident was a destroyed boarding bridge, as well as damage to three vehicles that were parked under the bridge, and slight damage to the ship.

The NTSB said in its report that the ship was moving too fast on its approach to the pier under the command of the staff captain. It also cited a lack of oversight by the captain during the maneuver.

In addition, the report said the elevated passenger walkway – estimated at a cost of $2 million – should not have been extended at the time.

Total damage was estimated at $2,085,000.

“The staff captain allowed the vessel to approach the pier too fast and at an angle too steep because he misjudged the power available in the joystick mode for correcting the maneuver. In the seconds it took him to assess that the joystick control would not be enough, in his opinion, to slow the ship, he lost valuable time in shifting to manual control,” said the NTSB.

“In his haste to shift control, he was unable to assume manual control at the bridge wing station, an event the staff captain could not explain. The vessel’s operating company was not able to replicate the failed transfer of control from the joystick mode to the manual mode during testing on subsequent voyages. Thus, the company has been unable to determine a cause other than possible human error.”

The NTSB added: “If the walkway had been in a position that the flare of the vessel’s bow and the observation and mooring platform could not make contact, damage to the walkway would not have occurred.”