The German cruise ship AIDAperla, operated by Carnival Corporation’s AIDA Cruises brand, broke free from its berth at the Port of Le Havre, France, on Tuesday, September 8, after an unexpected storm front brought strong winds to the area. The 125,572-gross-ton vessel, which had docked that morning during a seven-night voyage from Hamburg with stops in Southampton, Le Havre, Zeebrugge and Rotterdam, was still in port with roughly 500 passengers ashore on excursions to Paris when gusts snapped its forward mooring lines. The ship drifted stern-first and made contact with the quay wall, while both passenger gangways were torn away and left as floating obstructions in the harbor, prompting HAROPA PORT, which manages Le Havre, to briefly restrict harbor operations.
Tugboats were dispatched and had AIDAperla resecured to the dock by evening, with the cruise line and port authorities confirming no injuries among passengers or crew. The nearby TUI Cruises vessel Mein Schiff 3, also docked in Le Havre at the time, had to be held by tugs and saw its departure delayed as a precaution during the same weather event. AIDA Cruises said the ship would remain in Le Havre for inspection by technicians, port authorities and the responsible classification society to assess the extent of any hull damage before receiving clearance to resume its itinerary; scheduled calls at Zeebrugge and Rotterdam were subsequently cancelled as the vessel worked to rejoin its schedule and return to Hamburg.
Source: The Maritime Executive
