Cruise ship full of passengers breaks free of its mooring and drifts out of Ravenna Port in Italy

The Sea Viking cruise ship, full of passengers, was moored in the Italian port of Ravenna when high winds snapped her lines causing her to drift out to sea.

A cruise ship full of passengers broke free of its moorings in the Italian port of Ravenna and drifted around 60 metres from its berth after being hit by strong winds. The incident with the Viking Sea occurred at around 3am last Saturday, September 17 while the vessel was moored at the outer harbour of the port.

According to a Ravenna Port Authority spokesperson, extreme gale force winds snapped the vessel’s mooring lines and she started drifting out to sea. A harbour tugboat was quick to respond to the emergency while the crew rapidly dropped the Viking Sea’s anchor in an effort to stop her movement.

Eventually, with the help of several tugs, the ship was moved back to its original position in the port. The incident caused no harm to the passengers, who numbered more than 800, assured the Ravenna Port Authority.

“A heartfelt thanks to the harbourmaster, pilot, tugs, and longshoremen for the prompt response given, allowing us to face a totally exceptional situation with safety and speed”, said the Port Authority. They added: “Thanks also to the terminal operator and to the whole port community who understood the difficulties caused by these exceptional weather conditions”, as reported by msn.com.

È ripartita, fortunatamente senza complicazioni, la nave da crociera che sabato, con oltre 800 pax a bordo, per il maltempo, ha rotto gli ormeggi nel porto di #Ravenna. Tempestivo l'intervento di #GuardiaCostiera e rimorchiatori che sono riusciti a metterla in sicurezza. pic.twitter.com/hZuAYGyQjx

— Guardia Costiera (@guardiacostiera) September 19, 2022

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