Video shared on YouTube captured the dramatic moment the Celebrity Edge floated away from the dock, rain pouring down as the ship drifted from the pier.
In a statement emailed to NTD, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises, explained, “The ship drifted from the pier due to a sudden wind squall. Our Captain maneuvered the ship back to the dock where passengers and crew boarded to resume the scheduled itinerary.”
Recent Wind-Related Cruise Incidents
The event in Juneau, although rare, is not the only wind-related incident to a cruise ship, as several similar incidents have occurred in recent years.On May 30, a guest aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship fell into the water after strong winds caused the ship to separate from the pier while docked in Catania, Sicily, the cruise line said in a statement sent to multiple news outlets at the time.
The incident happened as the passenger was getting off the ship, and crew members quickly rescued the person, who was then evaluated by the ship’s medical team and taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
“Due to strong winds, one of our ships separated from the pier while docked,” a Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said. “The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority”.
On Feb. 6, 2024, Carnival Magic, a Carnival Cruise Line ship, struck a pier in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, amid windy weather. This forced the ship to move away, temporarily leaving guests on shore, according to a statement from the cruise line reported by multiple news outlets.
The incident occurred at 11 a.m. after “strong winds and swells caused the pier fender to collapse under pressure,” the cruise line said. “There were no injuries, and all the ship's services remained operational,” a spokesperson stated. “The ship left the area for the safety of everyone on board, later docked at another nearby pier and guests who went ashore rejoined the ship”.
In January 2024, two ships—MSC Sinfonia and a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel—broke from their moorings in separate incidents. MSC Sinfonia was blown into a nearby marina in Syracuse, Italy, by wind gusts exceeding 70 knots, or about 80 miles per hour, according to reports at the time.
“The ship was in lay up without any passengers on board and no injuries were reported,” a spokesperson said in a statement sent to multiple outlets. “MSC Sinfonia has been safely returned to her mooring with the assistance of tugboats”.
In each of the recent incidents, cruise lines reported that emergency protocols were followed and that ships were able to resume their itineraries with minimal disruption.