Strong winds whipped through Juneau (Alaska) on Monday, June 16th, catching the Celebrity Edge ship at berth in a sudden afternoon squall. The gale arrived swiftly, with gusts between 45 and 60 mph, triggering a severe thunderstorm warning—the first the city had faced in nearly 6 years.
Video captured by both ashore observers and passengers revealed the ship’s mooring lines breaking one by one amid driving rain, allowing the vessel to drift into Gastineau Channel amid nearby anchored ships.
One spectator recounted never having witnessed a storm descend so quickly, describing how the sky darkened and the wind struck with formidable force.
A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson confirmed that a sudden wind squall had pulled the ship from the pier. The Captain promptly navigated back alongside, enabling the continuation of the scheduled Alaska itinerary without incident or injury.
Local meteorologists noted that winds arriving from the southwest shifted sharply to the southeast, with sustained speeds climbing from around 5 mph at 2:05 p.m. to 26 mph by 3:30 p.m., accompanied by sudden gusts reaching 35 mph. Harbor officials later described it as the “perfect storm,” noting the wind struck broadside, exerting force beyond the mooring lines’ capacity before crews released all lines to protect the pier.
Passengers shared accounts underscoring the crew’s calm professionalism. One remarked that the ship was redocked within an hour after teams cleared snapped ropes from the water.
Among the passengers docked beside Edge, one described how their own vessel backed away, anticipating possible contact.
This event coincided with a growing pattern of severe-wind incidents affecting large cruise vessels. In recent weeks, mooring lines failed on HAL-Holland America’s Westerdam in Ketchikan and Norwegian’s Epic in Sicily amid strong gusts—often accompanied by gangway collapses—but all refrained from serious harm to passengers.
Once the air cleared and the storm passed, the Celebrity Edge resumed its itinerary, heading next to Skagway in time to complete its 7-night voyage north from Seattle.
As routine as North Pacific weather can be, these bursts of severe squalls serve a reminder that even in port, a seafaring ship remains at the mercy of the elements.