A cruise liner collided with a container ship in the Port of Cape Town on Friday morning, Report informs via News24.
Ambassador Cruise Line confirmed that its vessel Ambience was involved in a berthing incident while arriving in Cape Town for a scheduled visit. It departed from Durban three days ago.
Strong winds and large waves were seen in the harbour and may have played a part in the incident.
The incident took place just before 06:00, when Ambience “made contact” with the container ship, Grey Fox, while attempting to berth, Ambassador Cruise Line said.
“Despite the assistance of two tugs and a pilot, Ambience was unable to maintain position in strong, gusting winds and made contact with the container ship, which was already alongside. Both ships report only minor damage, and there is no water ingress or pollution,” the company added.
“No injuries have been reported to either guests or crew, and Ambience is now safely alongside, close to the cruise passenger terminal.”
The boat has since been cleared and is expected to depart at 23:00 (GMT +2h) on Friday night.
The 245m cruise ship was built in 1991 and had its last refit in 2022. It can carry 1,400 guests.
News24 said the vessel was not in the cruise liner terminal at the time of the collision.
Donald Kau, spokesperson for the V&A Waterfront, which manages the cruise liner terminal, referred News24 to the Transnet Ports Authority which confirmed the incident.
Port of Cape Town manager Ophelia Shabane said that, during the docking of the cruise liner, it “came into contact with a cargo carrier docked at B Berth”.
“No injuries were sustained by passengers or crew on board the vessels.The cause of the incident is being investigated and damage is being assessed,” she added.
“Port operations continue as normal and have not been impacted by the incident.”
