AIDAperla Strikes Quay After Breaking Moorings in France

A call at Le Havre in France took an unexpected turn on September 8 when strong winds caused cruise ship *AIDAperla *to break free from its moorings and collide with a quay wall.

The incident occurred at approximately 4 p.m. when a sudden storm front brought powerful gusts to the French port. Reports indicate that several mooring lines at the bow either snapped or became loose, allowing the cruise ship to move away from its berth.

Wind gusts of around 35 mph were recorded in Le Havre that afternoon. Footage posted on social media showed *AIDAperla *drifting through the harbor before the ship’s stern made contact with the quay.

Both passenger gangways were dislodged during the incident and fell into the water, temporarily creating obstructions within the harbor while approximately 500 passengers who had gone ashore for excursions were unable to reboard the ship while the situation was being brought under control.

Tugboats were dispatched to assist the vessel and maneuver it safely back alongside the berth. Port authorities later confirmed that *AIDAperla *had been secured and passengers were subsequently permitted to return aboard. There were no reported injuries among passengers or crew, and nobody on the dock was hurt.

The vessel remained in port while technicians, local authorities and the relevant classification society conducted inspections with the resulting delay leading *AIDAperla *to cancel its planned call at Zeebrugge on September 9. The ship is next scheduled to visit Rotterdam on September 10 before returning to Hamburg on September 12.

The 3,286-passenger *AIDAperla *is currently operating a seven-night cruise that departed from Hamburg on September 5. The ship called at Southampton before making its scheduled visit to Le Havre.