A Carnival cruise ship pulling out of Cozumel late Wednesday collided with a Royal Caribbean ship docked nearby in an incident that has left both vessels damaged.
Carnival says the 2,124-passenger Carnival Legend had just untied from its berth at the popular Mexican resort town when it was caught by heavy winds and pushed into the 2,446-passenger Enchantment of the Seas.
"Extremely strong winds pushed the vessel up against the side of Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas," the line says in a statement to USA TODAY. "The (Royal Caribbean) ship was at dock when the incident occurred. The Carnival Legend sustained broken glass and other minor damage to some open deck areas."
A Royal Caribbean spokeswoman tells USA TODAY the Enchantment suffered what appears to be minor damage to the stern of the ship and some railings.
Spokespeople for both lines say they have received no reports of injuries on board their respective ships resulting from the incident, which occurred at about 6:15 pm central time.
Both lines say the damage to the ships is not serious and the vessels will proceed with their current itineraries. The Enchantment of the Seas is on a five-night Caribbean cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. The Carnival Legend is on a seven-night Caribbean cruise out of Tampa.
"All appropriate authorities have been notified," Carnival says in its statement. "Following an examination of the vessel by Mexican authorities, the Carnival Legend was cleared to sail on to Belize, its next scheduled port of call." The Enchantment, as it happens, also is heading to Belize.
A passenger on the Enchantment of the Seas posting on a personal blog site shortly after the crash said he and some friends watched the incident unfold from the pool deck.
"As we're watching (the Legend), it's getting closer and closer. It looked like the wind was pushing the other ship toward us," writes the passenger, who goes by the pen name TheOneBob. "I looked down and saw a tug boat try to get between the two boats, but it was too late. Then the collision became inevitable. There was some crunching and breaking glass noises and the ship rocked to one side a little."
Source - Gene Sloan - USA Today
