A TUI Cruises ship, the Mein Schiff 3, collided with two cargo vessels while departing the port of Bremerhaven, Germany, during stormy weather on Sunday, forcing the company to cancel the ship’s planned voyage to the Canary Islands.
TUI Cruises confirmed the incident and said no passengers were injured. Technical teams and experts inspected the ship shortly afterward and determined it would require repairs at a shipyard, a company official told Fox News Digital.
“As a result, we have decided to cancel the planned cruise to the Canary Islands,” a TUI Cruises spokesperson said. “We very much regret having to take this step.”
Bremen Police reported the collision Sunday evening, stating that the cruise ship struck two container ships during the storm before returning to Columbus Quay.
“According to current knowledge, no one was injured in the collision,” a translated police statement said. “Information on the exact extent of the damage and the cause of the accident is not yet conclusively available.”
Footage posted to Reddit appears to show the moment of impact from aboard the ship, with at least one person shouting as the vessel scrapes against a cargo ship, damaging lifeboats along its side.
Bremen Police said they are investigating the collision. According to German broadcaster NDR, police have also opened an administrative offense investigation into the captain of the Mein Schiff 3.
A TUI Cruises spokesperson said passenger and crew safety remains the company’s top priority.
“We believe this is the only responsible decision and the right course of action to maintain our high safety standards,” the spokesperson said. “Our focus now is on keeping our guests fully informed, supporting them and assisting them with the next steps.”
The incident drew attention online, with some users expressing sympathy for affected passengers. One Reddit commenter said they were aboard a separate cruise ship in Bremerhaven scheduled to depart shortly after the Mein Schiff 3.
“Shortly before we were supposed to leave, they announced the port was closed. It was really windy,” the commenter wrote, adding that their ship, originally bound for Hamburg, was diverted because of the weather. “I can’t see the damage but Mein Schiff 3 is docked back in port. I can see it from the bridge cam.”
The cancellation follows other recent cruise disruptions, including the abrupt cancellation of a Royal Caribbean seven-night Alaska voyage earlier this year due to technical problems, and a small cruise ship striking a reef near a Fijian island in the spring.
