Carnival Cruise Line gives possible cause of accident in Mexico, apologizes to guests
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a letter sent to guests on Friday, Carnival Cruise Line apologized for an earlier accident in Cozumel, Mexico, during which the Carnival Glory came into contact with the Carnival Legend while docking, resulting in six passengers sustaining minor injuries.
The captain of the Carnival Glory also confirmed an investigation into the cause of the accident, which the company currently believes was due to “spontaneous wind gusts and strong currents.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Dear Carnival Glory Guest,” begins the letter, which is attributed to Carnival Glory Captain Pero Grubjesic. “Welcome back from your day ashore. We hope you enjoyed your time in Cozumel.”
The Carnival Glory cruise ship, right, crashes into the Carnival Legend on Friday morning. The cruise line currently believes the collision was caused by “spontaneous wind gusts and strong currents.” (Matthew Bruin/Reuters)
Grubjesic then apologized for that morning’s incident, which occurred as the Glory was “maneuvering” into its docking position, he said.
“A formal investigation is underway to confirm the cause of the accident, which we believe was due to spontaneous wind gusts and strong currents. The ship has been inspected by the required authorities and there are no issues that impact our ability to sail safely back to New Orleans.”
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Grubjesic also confirmed that the six guests who presented themselves for medical examination following the collision had already been treated and released.
“Once again, we apologize for the disruption this may have caused,” Grubjesic wrote. “We will be extending a US$100, per stateroom, onboard credit to your Sail & Sign account.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The ship itself stayed docked in Cozumel shortly longer than anticipated, Carnival says, to “complete some of our work.” Carnival Cruise Line also confirmed that guests planning to dine in the Platinum Restaurant dining area that evening would be accommodated, presumably as a result of the incident.
The ship left port in Cozumel on Friday evening at approximately 9 p.m. CST.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The initial incident, which Carnival is referring to as an allision as opposed to a collision (seeing as one of the ships was not actually moving at the time), took place on Friday morning at approximately 8:50 a.m.
Footage taken by onlookers shows the Carnival Glory maneuvering toward the dock alongside the Carnival Legend, scraping its stern against the Legend’s bow.
Carnival had initially received reports of one person injured while being evacuated from a dining area; five additional minor injuries were reported by Friday afternoon.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Carnival Glory is due back in New Orleans on Dec. 22.
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Janine Puhak contributed to this report.