Hendrik Keijer Interviewed by The New York Times on Cruise Ship Morgues

Lauren McCarthy with The New York Times reached out to Capt. Hendrik Keijer to discuss the way cruise lines handle on-board deaths and the expectations of a ship's morgue. A lawsuit brought by a widow against Celebrity Cruises alleges that they stored her husband’s body in a beverage cooler rather than the ship’s morgue, where it became “horrifically decomposed.”

Like all cruise ships, the Celebrity Equinox, which is registered in Malta and can carry up to 2,852 people, is required to have a morgue because onboard deaths are not uncommon, said Hendrik Keijer, a marine operations expert who served for 10 years as a captain on Holland America Line cruise ships.

“For some people it is their last vacation, unfortunately,” Mr. Keijer said. “That’s why morgues are onboard.”

Read the full story:

A Widow Said Her Husband Was Left in a Drinks Cooler After Dying on a Cruise

Featured Expert

Hendrik J. Keijer

Marine Operations Expert

Captain Henk Keijer is a retired Master Mariner and Marine Engineer. For nearly 30 years Captain Keijer operated a variety of vessels ranging from cruise ships to cargo ships and smaller boats. For nearly 10 years, Henk Captained and operated cruise ships with Holland America Line. Henk was one of the youngest Captains to be promoted, and as Captain carried the ultimate and overall responsibility for the safety, security, and wellbeing of thousands of individuals (both passengers and crew) aboard his vessels. During his distinguished career, Henk saved the lives of numerous persons on the high seas through rescues and medical evacuations. He provides detailed expertise to safe navigation and collision avoidance, safety training, boarding and disembarkation arrangements, medical evacuations and rescue, workplace safety, small boat passenger placement, marine weather and waves, marine equipment, and emergency situations.