Cunard ship breaks from moorings in Italy during strong wind
Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 ship broke from its moorings due to strong winds in Italy on Friday.
The cruise line had anticipated adverse weather and was “in the process of taking precautionary measures as we were hit by an unexpected gust of wind” in Civitavecchia that caused the separation, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The incident caused a short delay in the ship’s departure, but there were no injuries.
Showers and thunderstorms moved through the area on Friday afternoon and evening, according to AccuWeather. Some weather stations in and around Civitavecchia reported wind gusts between 24 and 28 miles per hour.
The ship visited the port as part of a 28-day Mediterranean sailing, according to CruiseMapper. Queen Mary 2 departed from New York on July 21 and will return on Aug. 18.
The news comes just weeks after Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Prima ship broke from its mooring ropes in Belgium due to unexpectedly powerful side winds.
Travel without a passport: What to know about closed-loop cruises
Stewart Chiron, a cruise industry expert known as The Cruise Guy, told USA TODAY in July that those kinds of incidents are “very rare” but have happened in extreme weather.
He added that weather conditions at each port are monitored for safety before arrival. “The cruise lines are always assessing these matters and mitigating the risks,” Chiron said in an email at the time. “If it's (deemed) unsafe, they take appropriate action so passengers can focus on their vacations. Unfortunately, they don't control the weather.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cunard ship breaks from moorings due to wind gust
