Latest news with #BrianKoning
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Passengers stranded for 7 hours after Norwegian Epic breaks moorings in heavy winds
A routine port stop turned chaotic for thousands of passengers aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Epic last Friday when severe winds caused the ship to break free from its moorings in Catania, on the Italian island of Sicily. The incident began around 1 p.m. local time when powerful 60-mph wind gusts struck the vessel's port side. Witnesses reported hearing loud cracking sounds as the mooring lines began snapping one by one, causing the ship's stern to drift away from the dock. "We heard a very loud boom, and then there was another loud noise and screams," passenger Brian Koning, who was returning to the ship with his wife at the time, said in a Facebook post. "All those large orange diameter ropes started snapping about every 15 seconds." During the incident, a female passenger fell from the gangway. Koning said the woman hit her head on something before landing in the water, prompting her husband to leap in to save her. Norwegian Cruise Line noted that the crew rushed to help the pair. "On-duty crew members were able to immediately assist the guest from the water and see that they were evaluated by the medical team," a company spokesperson told ABC News in a statement. "It was determined that they sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital for further examination and treatment." MORE: Cruise ship saves passengers, pets from disabled catamaran in South Pacific The incident left more than 3,600 passengers stranded ashore for over seven hours, according to Koning. Port authorities closed the checkpoint as the ship was forced to move out to sea until conditions improved. "The disembarkation and embarkation process was paused until weather conditions improved and the ship was able to safely dock again," Norwegian Cruise Line told ABC News. Passengers were frustrated with how the company handled of the situation, according to Koning. "There was no communication from anyone from Norwegian Cruise Line," Koning said. "People started getting irritated. They took the water away, there was no drinks, no food, and only one bathroom with a couple of toilets." The ship eventually returned to port after replacing the broken mooring lines, allowing passengers to reboard that evening.
7 days ago
- Climate
Passengers stranded for 7 hours after Norwegian Epic breaks moorings in heavy winds
A routine port stop turned chaotic for thousands of passengers aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Epic last Friday when severe winds caused the ship to break free from its moorings in Catania, on the Italian island of Sicily. The incident began around 1 p.m. local time when powerful 60-mph wind gusts struck the vessel's port side. Witnesses reported hearing loud cracking sounds as the mooring lines began snapping one by one, causing the ship's stern to drift away from the dock. "We heard a very loud boom, and then there was another loud noise and screams," passenger Brian Koning, who was returning to the ship with his wife at the time, said in a Facebook post."All those large orange diameter ropes started snapping about every 15 seconds." During the incident, a female passenger fell from the gangway. Koning said the woman hit her head on something before landing in the water, prompting her husband to leap in to save her. Norwegian Cruise Line noted that the crew rushed to help the pair. "On-duty crew members were able to immediately assist the guest from the water and see that they were evaluated by the medical team," a company spokesperson told ABC News in a statement. "It was determined that they sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital for further examination and treatment." The incident left more than 3,600 passengers stranded ashore for over seven hours, according to Koning. Port authorities closed the checkpoint as the ship was forced to move out to sea until conditions improved. "The disembarkation and embarkation process was paused until weather conditions improved and the ship was able to safely dock again," Norwegian Cruise Line told ABC News. Passengers were frustrated with how the company handled of the situation, according to Koning. "There was no communication from anyone from Norwegian Cruise Line," Koning said. "People started getting irritated. They took the water away, there was no drinks, no food, and only one bathroom with a couple of toilets." The ship eventually returned to port after replacing the broken mooring lines, allowing passengers to reboard that evening.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Cruise ship passenger in Italy blown overboard by strong winds
CATANIA, Italy – Winds were strong enough to blow a passenger overboard a cruise ship docked in Italy last Friday. The passenger fell into the water off the Norwegian Epic docked in Catania, Sicily, according to a statement Norwegian Cruise Line made to several media outlets. Alaska Slammed By Atmospheric River As Summer Cruise Season Revs Up One passenger, Brian Koning, posted on social media that the 1,080-foot vacation liner broke loose from its moorings amid strong wind gusts around 1 p.m. local time. "All ropes snapped with loud bangs," Koning wrote. The FOX Forecast Center said wind gusts over 30 mph were reported at the nearby Catania-Fontanarossa Airport at the time. The Norwegian Cruise Line Epic was built in 2010 and was last refurbished earlier this year. It can hold up to 4,070 guests, according to the company's website. FOX Weather reached out to Norwegian Cruise Line for a statement but has not yet heard article source: Cruise ship passenger in Italy blown overboard by strong winds
New York Post
03-06-2025
- New York Post
Cruise passenger blown into water, injured after ship detaches from pier during strong winds in Sicily
Man overboard! A passenger aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship was knocked over by strong winds and plummeted into the water after the vessel pulled away from the pier. 3 A passenger aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line fell overboard after the ship pulled away from the pier during high winds. Brian Koning Advertisement The person was disembarking while the Norwegian Epic ship docked in Catania, Sicily, last Friday, according to a cruise line spokesperson. 'On duty crew members were able to immediately assist the guest from the water and see that they were evaluated by the medical team. It was determined that they sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital for further examination and treatment,' Norwegian Cruise Line wrote in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. 3 The cruise line assured that the passenger only sustained minor injuries. Brian Koning Advertisement At the time, wind gusts in the area were as high as 45 miles per hour, according to AccuWeather. After the passenger's ill-fated fall, the ship ceased all disembarking and waited until the weather improved to resume docking again, according to the spokesperson. Cruise line mishaps are a dime a dozen, especially during the summer season as eager families seek adventure the minute schools lets out. 3 Norwegian Cruise Line has a nasty habit for accidentally leaving behind passengers. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Advertisement Last April, one ship with a Norwegian Cruise Line-sponsored tour abandoned an 80-year-old passenger in Africa after she suffered a stroke during an excursion. Another pair of elderly castaways were left stranded by the cruise line in Spain last May when the ship left without them. In July, a family of nine was accidentally left behind in Alaska after crews miscounted during their check to ensure all the passengers had returned before departing.
