Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship, Norwegian Prima, broke free of her moorings during high winds while docked in Zeebrugge, Belgium.
The frightening incident saw several mooring lines break and the ship dragging the gangway into the water as it moved away from the pier. Fortunately, no guests or crew were injured during the incident.
Norwegian Prima Breaks Free of Moorings
In a video uploaded by a passenger, Norwegian Prima broke free of her moorings while docked in Zeebrugge, Belgium, around 2:45 pm. During an exceptionally windy day, the 143,535 gross-ton cruise ship drifted away from the pier as several mooring ropes broke.
The video below shows that both gangways were dragged into the water during the incident.
High wind speeds are attributed to the incident. Windspeeds of 6-18 knots (7-21 miles per hour or 11-34 kilometers per hour) and gusts of 43 knots (50 mph or 80 kph) exerted considerable force on the 20-deck vessel causing her to drift away from the pier.
Fortunately no injuries were reported related to the incident.
Following the incident, three tug boats assisted the cruise ship back to the dock, where she was secured to the berth.
During the incident, most of the vessel’s passengers were ashore enjoying the final port of call on the 10-night “Northern Europe: Island & Norway to London” itinerary.
Guests could return to the vessel once the cruise ship was safely secured.
The port authorities are investigating the incident and confirmed that the gangway would be retrieved later.
The ship arrived in Southampton early Sunday morning on time for debarkation. The ship’s next sailing, an 11-night “Northern Europe: Iceland, Norway, & Belgium” cruise, is not impacted by the incident.
