NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line moved passenger embarkation for Norwegian Jade to an alternative terminal in Whittier, Alaska, after a fire involving a tour boat forced the cruise ship to leave the Chugach Glacier Gateway Cruise Terminal on September 14th, 2026.
The fire broke out at ~11:00 a.m. local time while Klondike Express, operated by Phillips Cruises & Tours, was moored at the dock. The US Coast Guard confirmed that there were no passengers aboard the tour vessel when the incident occurred.
Norwegian Jade was also alongside the terminal when the fire started and was moved safely away from the facility. No damage was reported to the 2,402-passenger cruise ship, and there were no reported injuries.
Emergency crews released Klondike Express from the pier so the vessel could be moved away from the dock. The fire was subsequently extinguished, although images released by the US Coast Guard showed visible fire damage to the tour boat. Klondike Express operates sightseeing excursions from Whittier into Prince William Sound.
Girdwood Fire and Rescue, Whittier Fire, Anchorage Fire and LifeMed Alaska were among the agencies involved in the emergency response. Video released by Girdwood Fire and Rescue showed heavy black smoke rising from the dock as Norwegian Jade moved away from the terminal and Klondike Express was relocated from the opposite side of the structure.
Access to Whittier was temporarily restricted during the response. The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which provides the main road connection to the community, was closed for several hours to facilitate emergency operations. Girdwood Fire and Rescue and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced shortly before 2:00 p.m. that the tunnel had reopened.
As of September 15th, authorities had not announced the cause of the fire.
The incident resulted in a change to the embarkation arrangements for Norwegian Jade’s September 14th departure. Norwegian Cruise Line said that, because access to the Chugach Glacier Gateway Cruise Terminal remained restricted while emergency personnel responded, passengers would instead board at Whittier Alaska Cruise Ship Terminal 1.
Terminal 1 is located on West Camp Road, ~two-thirds of a mile from the affected facility across the water. At the time of the cruise line’s announcement, no wider changes to Norwegian Jade’s itinerary had been confirmed, with any further developments to be communicated directly to passengers.
The September 14th departure was the final southbound Alaska sailing of Norwegian Jade for the 2026 season. The 7-night one-way cruise was scheduled to operate from Whittier to Vancouver, with scenic cruising near Hubbard Glacier and calls at Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan before arriving in Vancouver on September 21st.
The ship is scheduled to depart Vancouver on September 21st for another Alaska voyage before continuing toward Japan for its winter programme in Asia.
The next cruise ship scheduled to call at Whittier after Norwegian Jade is Royal Princess on September 24th. The Princess Cruises vessel has experienced engine problems during its current voyage, resulting in itinerary changes, although no alteration to its planned September 19th departure, which includes Whittier, had been announced as of September 15th.
The Whittier incident occurred approximately one week after a separate fire involving another Norwegian Cruise Line vessel. A small fire was reported aboard Norwegian Aura on September 7th while the ship was under construction at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard in Italy. No injuries or significant damage were reported in that incident.
For more Norwegian Jade incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page