An boat incident that occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, June 25th, at PortMiami (Florida USA) caused delays in the arrivals of both cargo ships and cruise vessels.
According to a report on social media, the accident involved a car ferry and had tragic consequences. A 30-ft-long boat collided with a Fisher Island car ferry in the Government Cut channel at ~3:40 am Florida time (~7:40 UTC). One person lost their life, while another was rescued from the water and ambulanced to Ryder Trauma C enter in serious condition.
Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee is currently investigating the incident.
As a result of the accident, ~15000 cruise tourtst and several cargo ships are currently waiting in the Port's anchorage cone. The Port's closure also affected all tourists who were supposed to embark on voyages on Sunday afternoon.
CCL-Carnival’s Brand Ambassador John Heald posted on his Facebook page:
“I know many of you reading this are excited to be joining our flag ship today so I felt it important that I share this with you.
“As a result of a boating incident, PortMiami is currently closed to all marine traffic and Carnival Celebration will be delayed docking this morning.”
In a text to booked passengers, Carnival asked that they not arrive at the port until advised that they should do so. The hope is that by delaying the arrival of embarking cruisers, the terminal will not become overrun with both embarking/disembarking guests.
Carnival Celebration, NCL's Norwegian Escape, and MSC Seashore are currently awaiting entrance.