Princess CRUISE SHIP HITS BREAKWATER

Posted on 10/21/2016

A man-made coastal breakwater in Nice meant to protect the harbour from stormy seas, was hit by a Princess cruise ship last week. The collision caused damage to the hull on the port side below the waterline and resulted in a leak on the vessel.

The incident resulted in a response by about twenty firefighters and divers, however “watertight doors were already closed, preventing flooding from spreading,” Princess Cruises said in a statement. Princess spokesperson David Sanders said there were no injuries, the ship still had electrical power and no evacuation took place. Some of the 669 passengers reported hearing the scraping sound as the ship made contact with the breakwater. Crewmembers have suggested that the collision was due to unexpected changes in weather conditions.
The rest of the Pacific Princess’ cruise was cancelled, Princess said, and passengers were provided with transportation and lodging to allow them to finish their travel plans. The Pacific Princess was 10 days into a 12-day cruise, due to finish in Barcelona. The subsequent cruise from the same port was also cancelled.The incident reportedly occurred at the southeastern end of Nice harbour's entrance breakwater.