Two Carnival cruise ships collided off the coast of Mexico this week, in what is possibly the slowest crash ever caught on camera.
The unfortunate incident took place on Friday, December 20, when the Carnival Glory ship slammed into the stationary Carnival Legend as it tried to dock in Cozumel.
Footage taken by onlooker Matthew Bruin showed how the Glory’s deck was crushed as it unsuccessfully attempted to manoeuvre around the other cruise ship.
Check it out here:
Though the collision appeared to do some relatively serious damage, Carnival Cruises told CNN the incident did not impact the ‘seaworthiness’ of either ship.
The company added six passengers suffered minor injuries as a result of the crash, after which they went to the Carnival Glory Medical Center for evaluation.
Carnival Cruises described the incident as an ‘allision’ – a nautical term used to describe a situation in which a moving ship collides with a stationary object – in this case another ship.
The cruise line advertises itself as being all about fun, and it seems the company wasn’t going to let a crash kill its vibe as staff told the passengers to enjoy their day ashore in Cozumel before returning to the ship.
One Carnival Legend passenger, Mary Anne McKinley, told CNN the collision didn’t feel very dramatic.
She explained:
The crash wasn’t too bad. Just felt like a big wave crashing into the ship.
The impact was apparently only minor for the Carnival Glory, too, as passenger Maddison Haynes likened it to other rocky moments they’d felt while on board.
She commented:
Last night we experienced some major motion on the boat so this morning we assumed something similar was happening. We felt a jolt and didn’t really think anything of it.
Passengers were informed about what had happened with an onboard announcement, which placed some of the blame on currents and high winds.
In the evening following the incident, the Carnival Glory set sail from Cozumel back to its home port in New Orleans.
In a letter to passengers, obtained by CNN, the Glory’s captain, Pero Grubjesic, said a formal investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
The cruise line provided passengers with $100 onboard credit, per room, in an attempt to make up for the incident.
The Carnival Glory is expected to arrive at the Port of New Orleans early on Sunday morning.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.