(CANTANIA, ITALY) — A routine port stop turned chaotic for thousands of passengers aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic last Friday when severe winds caused the ship to break free from its moorings in Catania, on the Italian island of Sicily.
The incident began around 1 p.m. local time when powerful 60-mph wind gusts struck the vessel’s port side. Witnesses reported hearing loud cracking sounds as the mooring lines began snapping one by one, causing the ship’s stern to drift away from the dock.
“We heard a very loud boom, and then there was another loud noise and screams,” passenger Brian Koning, who was returning to the ship with his wife at the time, said in a Facebook post. “All those large orange diameter ropes started snapping about every 15 seconds.”
During the incident, a female passenger fell from the gangway. Koning said the woman hit her head on something before landing in the water, prompting her husband to leap in to save her. Norwegian Cruise Line noted that the crew rushed to help the pair.
“On-duty crew members were able to immediately assist the guest from the water and see that they were evaluated by the medical team,” a company spokesperson told ABC News in a statement. “It was determined that they sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital for further examination and treatment.”
The incident left more than 3,600 passengers stranded ashore for over seven hours, according to Koning. Port authorities closed the checkpoint as the ship was forced to move out to sea until conditions improved.
“The disembarkation and embarkation process was paused until weather conditions improved and the ship was able to safely dock again,” Norwegian Cruise Line told ABC News.
Passengers were frustrated with how the company handled of the situation, according to Koning.
“There was no communication from anyone from Norwegian Cruise Line,” Koning said. “People started getting irritated. They took the water away, there was no drinks, no food, and only one bathroom with a couple of toilets.”
The ship eventually returned to port after replacing the broken mooring lines, allowing passengers to reboard that evening.
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