RCL's Mariner hit by cargo ship Freeport (Bahamas) - Norwegian Escape restarts service from Port Canaveral/Orlando
Royal Caribbean's Mariner OTS hit by cargo ship while docked in Freeport (Bahamas)
An RCI-Royal Caribbean ship was hit at a slow speed while docked on Wednesday, April 20.
Mariner of the Seas was docked in Freeport (Bahamas, Grand Bahama Island) when a cargo ship made contact with her stern.
The cargo vessel that hit Mariner OTS was the Tropic Freedom.
Mariner of the Seas' captain immediately made an announcement that everything was under control.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson confirmed the accident and said Mariner OTS had suffered only "minor damage",
"... in Freeport, The Bahamas, a cargo vessel made contact with Mariner of the Seas while the ship was docked. No one was injured on board, and Mariner experienced minimal damage. The ship will continue on its itinerary as planned."
Mariner of the Seas was in Freeport following a last-minute itinerary change that was announced on Tuesday. Passengers were informed that instead of a sea day, Mariner OTS was going to visit Freeport so the vessel could undergo maintenance.
NCL Norwegian Escape restarts service from Port Canaveral/Orlando (Florida USA)
The NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line ship Norwegian Escape returned to service after a month of repairs. The ship grounded on a channel bed off Puerto Plata last month while leaving Dominicana.
Norwegian originally estimated repairs would take just a week. Since then, 4 cruises had been canceled in addition to the journey that was cut short when the accident happened.
NCL Escape restarted sailings from Port Canaveral/Orlando (Florida USA) on Saturday, April 16, with a 7-night Eastern Caribbean trip. Ports of call include Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas NCL private island (April 17), St Thomas Island USVI, Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands (April 19), Tortola Island BVI, Road Town, UK Virgin Islands (April 20), Puerto Plata-Amber Cove, Dominicana (April 21). The Escape ship is scheduled to arrive back in Orlando on April 23.
Norwegian Escape sets off on a transatlantic cruise on April 25 from New York (Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC) to Civitavecchia-Rome (Italy), where she will sail Mediterranean itineraries through to September prior to returning to Port Canaveral FL to sail Caribbean voyages in November.