The Norwegian Epic is a massive cruise ship, holding roughly 4,100 passengers. But the bigger the ship, the bigger the problems, and this vessel is no exception: amid high winds on Tuesday, February 12th (the same ones that threatened to literally blow away small dogs), the behemoth slammed into a Puerto Rican dock while hundreds looked on.
Fortunately, several people nearby caught the incident on video:
Passengers onboard the ship also captured their perspective:
The ship was being guided into port with the help of two tugboats, but the force of the wind became so strong that the ship drifted out of control and into two nearby mooring stations. One after the other, the stations sank into the water, their metal parts folding like paper under the massive weight of the cruise ship.
The Norweigian Epic's entire trip through the eastern Caribbean was plagued with technical difficulties. A mechanical error while at sea caused the entire ship's power to go out earlier in the week. This forced the Epic to skips its planned stops at Tortola and St. Thomas.
Passengers were made to disembark after the crash, though statements released by Norwegian say the damage to the Epic was superficial:
Many passengers on board were tweeting about their experiences on the turbulent voyage:
Naturally, there were some hard feelings from the people whose vacations had been ruined.
Twitter users following the Epic's ordeal were flabbergasted at the footage of its docking:
On Twitter, Norwegian offered this update:
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Norwegian Epic is expected back in Port Canaveral by Saturday, February 16, alongside four tugboats who are helping to maneuver it while engine troubles persist. Hopefully some repairs will end the massive ship's wild week!
