After losing power at sea and skipping two port stops, the Norwegian Epic’s bad week somehow sank to a new low.
In a now-viral Twitter video, witnesses captured the 4,100-passenger vessel as it slowly hit and sunk two mooring points at the pier in Puerto Rico’s Port of San Juan.
“It’s gonna hit, it’s gonna hit,” witnesses can be heard saying in the video, as the the ship collides with the first mooring point, sinks it, and then collides with the second point. The walkway to the second mooring point crumbles and then also sinks while guests look on from their balconies.
The cause of the epic failure? Wind, Norwegian said.
In a statement, the cruise line said a local pilot aboard the vessel was helping the ship maneuver at Pier 3 East in the Port of San Juan.
“Prevailing winds caused the ship to veer towards the pier,” Norwegian tweeted.
No injuries were reported, the cruise line said, and it’s “working closely with local authorities to assess the damage.”
The Port Canaveral-based ship sustained minimal, superficial damage to the hull, Norwegian said, and the vessel was expected to depart San Juan later on Wednesday.
Epic sailed away from Central Florida on Feb. 9, and was scheduled to reach Tortola in the British Virgin Islands on Tuesday, followed by a stop in St. Thomas on Wednesday and another in the Bahamas’ Great Stirrup Cay on Friday.
But due to a “mechanical issue,” the cruise line had to sail to San Juan to assess the problem, cutting out the stops in Tortola and St. Thomas.
“All services aboard the ship remain fully operational,” Norwegian said.
Epic is expected to return to Port Canaveral on Saturday. The cruise line did not respond to questions about refunds for passengers.
cherrera@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5660; Twitter @ChabeliH
