Passengers sailing aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's newly-renovated Norwegian Epic were left temporarily stranded in Catania, Italy, after the cruise ship broke free from its moorings while docked in the Sicilian city on Friday.
At least one individual who was on the gangway at the time of the incident fell into the water below and had to be rescued.
The cruise line attributed the scary incident to powerful winds.
"On Friday, May 30, 2025, due to strong winds, one of our ships separated from the pier while docked in Catania, Sicily," an NCL spokesperson confirmed in an emailed statement. "Unfortunately, one guest who was in the process of disembarking fell from the gangway into the water. On duty crew members were able to immediately assist the guest from the water and see that they were evaluated by the medical team."
"It was determined that they sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital for further examination and treatment."
The incident prompted NCL to delay the reboarding process so that passengers could return safely.
"The disembarkation and embarkation process was paused until weather conditions improved and the ship was able to safely dock again," the spokesperson said. "During this interruption, our crew were actively attending to our guests until they were able to re-embark the ship. As always, the safety of our guests and crew is our top priority."
Norwegian Epic is in the midst a 10-night round-trip sailing from Rome with scheduled stops in Naples, Italy; Florence, Italy, and Cannes, France this weekend and into early next week.
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