Norwegian Epic broke free from its moorings while docked at the Port of Catania, Italy prompting emergency maneuvers at sea and leaving hundreds of passengers ashore with little information.
Just after 1 p.m. local time, loud bangs echoed across the port as mooring lines on the Epic gave way under pressure. Several guests witnessed concrete mooring bollards being ripped from the pier and crashing into the ship’s hull. The vessel began drifting away from the dock as high winds swept through the area, worsening the already unstable situation.
Port authorities and emergency responders rushed to assist after a woman fell into the water while attempting to board the ship. She was rescued and reported to be unharmed.
With weather conditions deteriorating and the ship no longer securely fastened to the pier, the captain made the decision to move the vessel out to sea until it was safe to return.
The visible damage was located on the aft port side of the ship. The affected area is part of the vessel’s external skirt and does not compromise the watertight hull, suggesting that the ship’s structural integrity remains intact.
However, early observations suggest that the mooring infrastructure at the port may have contributed to the failure. The toe-down bollards—designed to anchor the ship—either proved insufficiently rated for the wind conditions or had deteriorated to a critical point. Cruise forums and maritime observers are now calling for an investigation into the condition and safety of the mooring equipment used at the Catania cruise terminal.
Passengers Stranded Ashore
While the ship sailed offshore to stabilize, hundreds of passengers who had disembarked earlier in the day found themselves stranded at the port. Many endured extreme heat, lack of shelter, and minimal supplies while waiting for instructions that never came.
Communication from Norwegian Cruise Line was described by guests as virtually non-existent. With no announcements made on the ground and app notifications inaccessible without shipboard Wi-Fi, frustration and confusion grew throughout the afternoon. As crowds gathered near the re-boarding zone, the absence of official updates fueled rumors and raised tensions.
The lack of coordination resulted in mixed messages about return times, with some guests told to return at 5 p.m., others at 6 p.m., and many left to wait indefinitely. The ship ultimately began docking procedures at around 6:30 p.m., with long lines forming as passengers re-boarded.
The Norwegian Epic is currently on a 10-day Mediterranean voyage that began on May 24 in Civitavecchia (Rome) and is scheduled to end on June 3.
