The Virgin Voyages cruise ship Scarlet Woman got here into unlucky contact with a mooring dolphin at PortMiami over the weekend. This mishap resulted in a dent and hull perforation on the starboard aft aspect of the ship simply above the waterline.
Fortunately for friends, Virgin Voyages might instantly provoke repairs, making certain friends skilled a minor delay within the vessel’s departure.
Scarlet Woman Collision in Miami
Scarlet Woman was concerned in a one-sided collision on Sunday, July 16, at PortMiami. The cruise ship made contact with a mooring dolphin throughout arrival.
Eyewitnesses and on-line video footage reveal that the incident occurred because the ship tried to align its starboard aspect with the dock on the Virgin Voyages cruise terminal. You possibly can watch the arrival of the vessel beneath, together with the impression:
Sadly, the vessel miscalculated the gap to the dolphin, a freestanding extension of the dock used for mooring ships. The mishap led to the ship’s collision with the dolphin throughout its flip. This occasion, nonetheless, didn’t cease the Scarlet Woman for lengthy. Repairs had been promptly initiated and continued all through the day.
Regardless of this hiccup, the US Coast Guard cleared the ship, which pulled out at roughly 12:30 AM, albeit with a delay of round six and a half hours from the scheduled departure time.
The Scarlet Woman, at 110,000 gross tons and with a capability for over 2,770 friends, had simply returned from a 4-night cruise to Key West and Bimini within the Bahamas earlier than the mishap.
Following the incident and subsequent repairs, the ship set off from PortMiami for a 5-night cruise, with stops in Cozumel, Mexico, and Bimini Island, Bahamas, earlier than returning to Miami.
The Scarlet Woman is scheduled to function year-round from Miami by April 2024, when she shall be repositioning to Europe for a season within the Mediterranean, crusing from Barcelona. From Miami, the ship sails four- and five-night cruises to Key West and the Bahamas.
Minor Influence on Visitor Expertise
Visitors who boarded the Scarlet Woman for the cruise departing July 16 can take into account themselves lucky. The harm was successfully repaired because of the short and environment friendly work of the ship’s crew and contractors. It additionally implies that the impression of the collision is not going to negatively have an effect on friends onboard.
Pictures of the vessel after the repairs had been accomplished present minimal harm, with the ship’s crew even managing to place a contemporary coat of paint on the broken space.
At the moment, Virgin Voyages has not made any statements on the trigger and doable additional results of the collision; neither is it clear who, the harbor pilot or the Captain, was answerable for navigation throughout the incident.
The vessel appears unlikely to want extra important restore work, as the USA Coast Guard has already cleared her to sail.
This incident contrasts with an identical state of affairs on July 6, 2023, involving the Crown-class Ruby Princess cruise ship. This cruise ship collided with Pier 27 in San Francisco, inflicting harm to the ship’s hull much like that on the Scarlet Woman. After in depth repairs and acquiring the required certification from the US Coast Guard, the ship resumed operations.
Nonetheless, the incident decreased the initially deliberate 10-night Alaska crusing to a 7-day cruise. Ruby Princess additionally sailed with fewer passengers onboard as a result of some opted out of the shortened itinerary.
