Passengers aboard a pair of Holland America cruise ships received a bit of a scare on Saturday when the two cruise ships collided with each other in Canada Place in the Vancouver Harbour.
The two ships, the Oosterdam and the Nieuw Amsterdam rubbed against each other while docking stern to stern, said a statement from Holland America.
No one was reported injured from the mishap and passengers were able to leave the ship as planned.
Two cruise ships from the same cruise line bumped into each other this morning in Vancouver causing minor damage to both vessels.
— JW Trollinger (@JWTROLLI5oh) May 5, 2019
Both cruise ships are operated by Holland America Line and the incident happened at around 6:30 this morning. No injuries. via Capt Frank Suma pic.twitter.com/bZ39GUtGDJ
Susan Carrusca, her mother and her two friends were at breakfast on the Nieuw Amsterdam when she felt a jolt.
“We heard a scraping noise . . . We could see the other ship, it looked like it was coming towards us. I realize now that it was swinging into its position," she said.
“When it happened, the captain came on and said ‘evacuation, stern of the ship, evacuation,’ and so we looked at our server and said ‘should we go?’ The (staff) were all clamouring to the back to see what was happening.”
Cruise ship Oosterdam hits the Nieuw Amsterdam docking at Canada Place in @PortVancouver
— Ken Carrusca (@KenCarrusca) May 4, 2019
Damage to both vessels @CKNW @GlobalBC @CTVVancouver
Somebody isn’t having a good day. pic.twitter.com/4r5jMLehw6
According to Carrusca, the captain later explained that the jolt was caused by the Oosterdam bumping into the rear of the Nieuw Amsterdam. Some passengers who were residing in cabins near the stern of the ship were not allowed to return.
Holland America's statement indicates that six stateroom verandas on the Nieuw Amsterdam were damaged and repairs were in progress, all of which were above the water line. The seaworthiness of the ships were not affected by the collision, they said.
Despite the collision, Holland America did not anticipate delays on their upcoming trips — the Oosterdam was set to sail overnight to Seattle and the Nieuw Amsterdam was set for a seven-day Alaskan cruise.
With files from The Canadian Press
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