Strong winds push AIDAperla off its moorings, causing crash into Le Havre seawall

On Tuesday afternoon, the 984-ft cruise ship AIDAperla was ripped from its moorings in the French port of Le Havre as a weather front brought gusts of up to 68 mph. The vessel drifted backward through the harbor, hitting a seawall and sending waves across the water, while two boarding gangways were either lost or left hanging. Although the ship can accommodate more than 3,300 passengers, no one was hurt; however, many guests were left ashore, with some waiting on buses for the ship to be re-secured.

Several tugs intervened, and by 6:30 p.m. the ship was fastened back to the dock. Local authorities reported a small hull gash and cancelled upcoming calls at Zeebrugge and Rotterdam. The cruise, originally scheduled to call at Southampton before heading to Hamburg, remains in Le Havre for inspections, with a tentative departure planned for Thursday evening.