TUI Cruises' Mein Schiff 3 Collides with Container Ship MSC Victorine at Bremerhaven, Lifeboats Destroyed

TUI Cruises' cruise ship Mein Schiff 3 (99,526 GT) collided with the moored container ship MSC Victorine while attempting to depart the Columbuskaje terminal in Bremerhaven at approximately 1730 local time on October 25. No injuries were reported among the 3,350 people on board.

German police confirmed a strong storm-force wind gust pushed the 293-metre cruise ship toward two container ships moored alongside the harbour wall. The collision tore open the port side of MSC Victorine over several metres and deformed the container guides. The port aft corner of MSC Victorine in turn tore through several of Mein Schiff 3's lifeboats, scattering debris in the water. Mein Schiff 3 returned to the terminal following the incident.

All three vessels — Mein Schiff 3, MSC Victorine, and a second moored container ship MSC Anne F. - have been barred from departing Bremerhaven pending damage assessments.

Mein Schiff 3 entered service in 2014 and was the first vessel in TUI Cruises' current fleet generation, known for its relatively spacious passenger ratio of one of the lowest in the cruise industry at the time of delivery.