Second Cruise Ship Collision in 2 Weeks

The MSC Grandios cruise ship was involved in a crash with a cruise pier in Sicily, Italy Monday morning, marking the second cruise ship collision in two weeks. 

FoxNews.com reports that the ship crashed into the dock at Palermo, Sicily, on Monday morning at about 8:30 am when the 1,085-foot vessel struck the port as it attempted to dock. In the collision, the ship suffered damage on its port side stern aboard the waterline, but no passengers were reported injured. 

Video of the aftermath of the collision was uploaded on YouTube, which showed the ship’s damage. The FoxNews.com report indicates that it is unclear if the collision breached the ship’s hull. 

In a statement, an MSC spokesperson said:

“MSC Grandiosa experienced a light allision in the port of Palermo. Due to reasons we are still investigating, the ship deviated while maneuvering along the quayside and lightly grazed the end of the quay with its aft part,” a rep for MSC Cruises told the Sun on Monday. “While this may have been noticed by some passengers or bystanders, there was never any risk for guests or crew on board, and there was no impact for the environment.”

It appears that strong winds contributed to the collision.