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Char · 12-11-2007, 08:07 AM

Cruise ship, barge collide in Montevideo
10 Dec 2007 23:02:02 GMT
Source: Reuters

MONTEVIDEO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A luxury cruise ship and a barge collided in Uruguay's main port on Monday, sending several cars and containers off the barge and shutting the port down, the navy said.

The Norwegian Dream cruise ship, owned by Miami-based NCL Corp., was leaving Montevideo when it collided with a barge being pulled by a tug, a navy spokesman said.

Navy divers were searching for the cars that fell of the barge.
"The collision caused five containers and several cars to fall in the water. ... The cruise ship received damages above the water line which do not appear serious," said Alejandro Anon, head of naval public relations.

According to Norwegian Cruise Line's Web site, the Norwegian Dream left Buenos Aires on Sunday and after Montevideo was planning to travel to southern Argentina and Chile. (Reporting by Conrado Hornos, writing by Fiona Ortiz, editing by Doina Chiacu)

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Char · 12-11-2007, 08:49 AM

December 10. 2007 7:58PM

Cruise ship, cargo vessel collide; minor damage, no injuries

By RAUL GARCES
Associated Press Writer

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay A cruise ship carrying some 1,700 passengers collided with a cargo vessel Monday in a Uruguayan port, but no injuries were reported.

The Norwegian Dream, a Bahamas-flagged cruise ship, received damages described as "not serious" above its waterline and remained in harbor as authorities temporarily closed the Montevideo port, Uruguay's navy said in a statement.

The cargo vessel also suffered unspecified damages and at least five containers and some vehicles tumbled into the shallow River Plate estuary, naval authorities said. The ship remained afloat.

The passenger ship, which recently left Buenos Aires to begin a 14-day cruise toward the southern tip of South America, was leaving port when it collided with the barge which was "adrift in the entrance channel," Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line spokeswoman Susan Robison said in a statement.

"The overall safety of the vessel has not been compromised," Robison said. "However, there is damage to the ship's bow and forward ballast tank. The ship's engineers are conducting a full survey of the ship to ensure there is no further damage."

She said the Norwegian Dream is currently anchored off Montevideo, Uruguay's capital, and is expected to return to the dock overnight where it will remain while repairs are conducted prior to resuming its voyage.

The statement said the ship would miss two ports of call before repairs are complete, and passengers were being offered alternate shore excursions before it resumes sailing to Ushuaia, Argentina's southernmost city.

Maritime authorities said they closed the terminal area near the docks as a security precaution, as work cranes on barges tried to pluck the spilled containers from muddy waters made choppy by a day of rain squalls.

Two weeks ago the Canadian-operated cruise ship MS Explorer hit sea ice below the southern tip of South America and sank. All 154 passengers and crew were rescued after spending hours bobbing in lifeboats in frigid waters.

Cruise Princess · 12-11-2007, 07:46 PM

Ouch!

LuLu · 12-11-2007, 09:00 PM

Glad there were no major injuries!

Debi D · 01-30-2008, 12:18 PM

Here is the crash, pretty interesting!

YouTube - Norwegian Dream collision Montevideo,10th dec 2007