Cruise Ship Hits Mexico Pier; No Injuries

A cruise ship hit a pier while docking in Mexico, cutting a 42-foot gash in the ship's side and delaying its return to New Orleans. Nobody was hurt, but the 2,030 passengers will have to either fly back on chartered flights or wait until the repairs are done, said Michael Sheehan, a spokesman for Royal Caribbean International Ltd. The crash happened Wednesday as the ship called the Grandeur of the Seas tried to dock in 17 mph wind and a 3 mph current, the cruise line said Thursday. The football-shaped gash in the starboard bow is about 5 feet above the water line, and 5 feet wide at its widest point. The Miami-based company said the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating. The ship is now expected to leave Costa Maya, Mexico on Saturday and arrive in New Orleans at midday Monday, the cruise line said. It had been scheduled to return to the city Saturday. The next cruise on the Grandeur of the Seas will be shortened because of the crash. It was to leave New Orleans on Saturday for a seven-day trip. Passengers booked for the cruise are being notified that it will now leave Monday for a five-day trip. Those on the current cruise were being offered credits. Those booked on next week's shortened trip either will get a credit or will be able to cancel and receive a full refund, the cruise line said. It was the second mishap on a cruise ship in less than a week. On Saturday, a freak seven-story wave damaged the Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Dawn ship as it returned to New York from the Bahamas. It was forced to dock at Charleston, S.C., for repairs, and then returned to New York on Monday. Source: http://www.heraldsun.com/service/