Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady broke away from its berth at the port of Rhodes (Greece) on the evening of Wednesday, September 30th, after several mooring lines reportedly snapped amid strong waves. The ship’s gangway fell into the water as the vessel moved away from the pier.
The incident occurred shortly after 8:15 p.m. local time. Greek news outlet neakriti.gr reported that strong waves caused several lines securing the cruise ship to break, allowing Scarlet Lady to move across the harbor and make contact with a catamaran and two other boats. The mooring lines parted before the gangway fell into the sea as the vessel separated from the dock.
The Rhodes Central Port Authority responded to the incident, while available tugboats were placed on standby. Local media reported that the ship’s captain maneuvered Scarlet Lady under its own power and returned it to its berth.
A subsequent report identified the tourist vessel King of Rhodes as one of the boats involved in the contact.
No injuries or marine pollution were reported following the incident.
For more Scarlet Lady incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page