A luxury cruise ship slammed into two cargo vessels during stormy weather in Germany and abruptly brought a planned trip to the Canary Islands to an end.
The incident took place in Bremerhaven, Germany, Sunday as the Mein Schiff 3 was departing the port.
TUI Cruises confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital and said no passengers were injured.
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“As a result, we have decided to cancel the planned cruise to the Canary Islands,” the spokesperson said. “We very much regret having to take this step.”
Technical teams and experts inspected the ship shortly after the collision.
They determined it would need repairs at a shipyard, a TUI Cruises official told Fox News Digital.
The collision was reported by Bremen Police on Sunday evening. Officials said the cruise ship collided with two container ships during stormy weather before returning to Columbus Quay.
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“According to current knowledge, no one was injured in the collision,” the translated police statement said.
“Information on the exact extent of the damage and the cause of the accident is not yet conclusively available.”
Footage posted to Reddit appears to show a view from the cruise ship during the collision, with at least one person shouting as the vessel scrapes against a cargo ship, damaging lifeboats along its side.
Bremen police said they’re investigating the collision. Police also reportedly opened an administrative offense investigation into the captain of the Mein Schiff 3, according to German broadcaster NDR.
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The TUI Cruises spokesperson said the safety of passengers and crew remains the company’s “top priority.”
“We believe this is the only responsible decision and the right course of action to maintain our high safety standards,” the spokesperson said.
“Our focus now is on keeping our guests fully informed, supporting them and assisting them with the next steps.”
The incident and video prompted discussion online, with users expressing sympathy for affected passengers.
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“Imagine saving for years, saving up your holidays just to go on a cruise and then this happens when deploying to the sea,” one Reddit user said.
“Ooof. That looked expensive,” another chimed in.
One Reddit commenter claimed to have been aboard another cruise ship in Bremerhaven that was scheduled to depart shortly after the Mein Schiff 3.
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“I’m actually on a different cruise ship in Bremerhaven that was supposed to leave shortly after Mein Schiff 3 last night,” the user wrote. “Shortly before we were supposed to leave, they announced the port was closed. It was really windy.”
The commenter said his or her ship had originally been scheduled to stop in Hamburg but was diverted because of the weather.
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“I can’t see the damage but Mein Schiff 3 is docked back in port,” the Reddit user added. “I can see it from the bridge cam.”
Other cruise vacations have faced similar disruptions in recent months.
Passengers aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship were left scrambling earlier this year after their seven-night Alaska voyage was abruptly canceled due to technical problems.
Earlier this spring, a small cruise ship struck a reef near the Fijian island where Tom Hanks’ movie “Cast Away” was filmed.
