AIDAperla drifted and struck the dock in Le Havre, France, due to severe winds. No injuries reported; damage assessment ongoing.
The German cruise ship AIDAperla was swept away and collided with the dock at the Port of Le Havre, France, due to severe winds that caused its mooring lines to break. There were no injuries reported among the passengers, and damage assessment work on the ship is ongoing.
The 125,572 gross ton German passenger ship AIDAperla broke free from its berth connections on Tuesday, September 8, while it was at the Port of Le Havre due to strong winds. The approximately 300-meter-long vessel drifted within the port and struck the concrete dock with its stern after the lines snapped.
French authorities issued warnings about strong winds due to a weather system expected to affect the area. According to media reports, wind speeds in the port reached up to 68 miles per hour, approximately 110 kilometers.
Two gangways were damaged.
The incident, which occurred around 16:00 local time, resulted in reports that two gangways of AIDAperla were either lost or hung on the ship's side.
In response to the incident, numerous tugboats were dispatched to the area. After operations, the ship was safely re-secured to the dock around 18:30.
Footage captured by passengers on the Mein Schiff 3 cruise ship, which was also in Le Havre, shows AIDAperla being dragged backward and colliding with the concrete wall at its stern. Initial inspections indicated that a small crack had formed in the hull of the ship.
Approximately 500 passengers waited on buses.
Following the accident, passengers were not allowed to re-board the ship. It was reported that around 500 passengers remained on buses while waiting for the ship to be secured again.
AIDAperla has a double occupancy cabin capacity of over 3,300 and a maximum passenger capacity of 4,333, though the number of passengers on board at the time of the incident was not disclosed.
The ship was scheduled to visit the ports of Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Le Havre, and Southampton as part of its 7-day cruise program departing from Hamburg.
Route changed.
According to information from the German press, passengers were informed that the visits to Zeebrugge and Rotterdam had been canceled. The ship is expected to remain in Le Havre, with passengers allowed to disembark in France until Thursday afternoon.
It was reported that AIDAperla is planned to set sail again on Thursday evening, directly returning to Hamburg. Assessments regarding the extent of the ship's damage are still ongoing.
In a statement made by AIDA, it was emphasized that the safety of passengers and crew on board during the incident was the top priority.
Operations of other cruise ships in Le Havre were also subject to restrictions due to the incident, and it was noted that TUI Cruises, the operator of Mein Schiff 3, brought additional tugboats to the area to ensure the safety of the ship.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
