Cruise & maritime incidents

A legal dispute has emerged between the Municipality of Skagway, Alaska, and the cruise industry following the enactment of Ordinance 24-12 in December 2024.

On 31 May 2025 , the MSC Seascape experienced a mooring failure while docked at Ocean Cay, Bahamas , due to a sudden squall that brought high winds strong enough to snap mooring lines and dislodge the gangway into the water.

On 30 May 2025, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic experienced a mooring failure while docked at the port of Catania, Sicily , causing the vessel to drift away from the pier and resulting in one passenger falling into the water.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has linked private balcony hot tubs aboard cruise ships—including Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas —to recent cases of Legionnaires’ disease , a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria.

On 25 May 2025, Celebrity Cruises delayed the embarkation of Celebrity Apex in Southampton, England , following a gastrointestinal illness outbreak reported during the ship’s previous 8-night roundtrip voyage.

On 22 May 2025, Carnival Splendor responded to a distress call in the South Pacific and successfully rescued four sailors and three dogs from a disabled catamaran approximately 7 nautical miles south of New Caledonia.

On 22 May 2025, the Enchanted Princess , operated by Princess Cruises, was denied docking access at Grand Turk Harbour due to an outbreak of illness among passengers.

Over the weekend of 21 May 2025, Indonesian maritime authorities conducted an emergency medical evacuation (medevac) for two passengers aboard the Mein Schiff 6 , which was navigating waters off Aceh Province, Indonesia.