An investigation is being carried out by MSC Cruises as to why one of its large cruise ships deviated from course and tore apart a dock it hit on Tuesday of this week in Honduras.
MSC Armonia, which is currently on a weeks-long cruise through the Caribbean, was en route to Port Coxen Hole on Roatan, one of the Bay Islands in Honduras, when it did not come to a stop and ran into the dock prior to running aground on a nearby beach.
Footage that a user on YouTube posted showed witnesses who looked on in shock as the pier was being torn up by the MSC Armonia, a 65,000-ton ship.
A cruise line spokesperson through an email to the media said that during maneuvering alongside the pier, for reasons not yet known that are being investigated, the ship switched course and struck the pier.
The cruise line spokesperson added that at no time were any of the passengers or crew on board at any risk. According to reports, crew members were attempting to slow down the ship once they realized that it was moving at too fast a speed toward the pier. The crew did this by throwing a pair of anchors overboard just prior to the dock being hit by the ship.
However, while the two anchors might have been used too late to stop the ship from hitting the dock, damage to it was considered minimal.
The spokesperson for the cruise line said that damage was minor and the ship was since cleared by authorities with the Honduran Port State Control to continue its journey as soon as repairs are made that are necessary prior to leaving.
The statement by the cruise line confirmed further that no passengers had been affected by the crash into the dock, and that the ship was set to leave for its next destination in Belize.
The accident of the MSC Armonia follows a similar incident with a cruise ship in October of 2017, in which the ship Disney Dream while in the Bahamas backed into a pier accidently with the hull of the ship sustaining minor damage.
