A cruise liner has crashed into container ships during a storm, tearing open a vessel’s hull and leaving passengers shaken.
Dramatic footage showed the huge liner scraping against a cargo ship as it left port, with a loud impact heard during the collision.
Several lifeboats and at least one container vessel were also damaged, with the latter reportedly sustaining a 10-metre-long tear in its hull.
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“I think that’s the end of the trip,” a woman watching the shocking incident can be heard saying.
The incident happened as the Mein Schiff 3 liner departed with the help of tugboats with strong winds and rough seas apparently making the manoeuvre difficult.
The vessel was leaving Bremerhaven in northern Germany as Storm Manja battered the North Sea coast yesterday (25 Oct).
It was set for a 20-day cruise to the Canary Islands when the impact occurred around 10 minutes after it left the quay.
The liner returned to the Columbuskaje quay, where specialists began assessing the damage and checking whether it was safe to sail.
A total of 2,428 passengers and 922 crew members were onboard at the time, but no injuries had been reported and passengers were initially allowed to remain on the ship.
Captain Jan Schubert addressed guests in an announcement, saying: “Fortunately, according to the current information, nobody was injured.
“At the same time, we have already identified initial damage to the ship, which is now being thoroughly examined by experts.”
He reassured passengers that restaurants and bars remained open while the ship stayed alongside overnight, as reported by Need To Know.
A TUI Cruises spokesperson said: “We will provide further information as soon as reliable findings are available.”
There are conflicting accounts of how many container ships were involved.
Police said three vessels were involved, while operator TUI Cruises said the liner collided with only one container ship.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation by Bremen water police.
It remains unclear whether the planned voyage to the Canary Islands will go ahead.
Jam Press has contacted TUI for comment.
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