Man dead, cruise arrivals disrupted after boat hits ferry near Miami port

Table Of Content

• ‘We're stuck': Passengers react after Port of Miami closed by deadly Fisher Island Ferry boat crash
• The port was shut down for several hours, but reopened around 6 p.m.
• Investigation into how Thriller tour boat, private vessel collided underway
• Cruise Line Adds “Glacier Day” to Its Alaskan Cruise Itineraries
• ‘Fog of panic’: In South Florida, hit-and-run drivers shatter the lives they leave behind
• Man dead, cruise arrivals disrupted after boat hits ferry near Miami port

"Unfortunately, that victim was deceased on the scene, and now, FWC will be handling the investigation." The vessel hit the ferry, which takes residents back and forth to Fisher Island, a Miami Fire-Rescue spokesperson told WTVJ. No vessel or person will be permitted to enter the safety zone without permission from the COTP or a designated representative.

‘We're stuck': Passengers react after Port of Miami closed by deadly Fisher Island Ferry boat crash

Greg Chin, a spokesperson for Miami International Airport said MIA notified domestic airlines about the situation at the port, and they are waiving rebooking fees for cruise passengers affected by the situation at the port. An average of some 10,000 PortMiami cruise passengers use Miami International every day based on an annual total of 4 million. The investigation and subsequent salvage of the vessel involved shut down the North channel for hours, forcing cruise ships inbound to remain at sea. Both the North and South channels were closed for investigation and salvage operations.

The port was shut down for several hours, but reopened around 6 p.m.

Before moving to South Florida, she began her career in South Bend, Indiana and spent six years in Jacksonville as a reporter and weekend anchor. Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications. Those ships are the Carnival Celebration, the MSC Seascape and the Norwegian Escape. Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville.

Investigation into how Thriller tour boat, private vessel collided underway

Their goal is to receive compensation for some of the passengers involved. Fire officials say a Thriller tour boat and what appeared to be a private vessel crashed into each other. The Carnival Celebration was on an eight-night Southern Caribbean cruise that featured calls in Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao in addition to four sea days. Nevertheless, the terminal was packed with arriving guests and their luggage. "I am definitely happy to be home, in my own bed but I could say it could’ve been a lot worse for us but I’m glad to be home," she told WPTV's Briana Nespral. Hours later she arrived in the port, went through disembarkation, retrieved her car and drove home.

Miami expects thunderstorms throughout the afternoon, which could add an extra challenge to turning the vessels. Any significant updates will be posted on this story until the last ship leaves this evening. Cruise ships due Monday are Carnival Conquest, Carnival Sunrise, and Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. Workers onboard the ferry were able to pull one man out of the water and paramedics rushed him to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in Miami. The MSC Seascape had 5,358 to debark and about 5,250 embark, Trutie said.Cruisemapper.com said it was ending a seven-day cruise to the western Caribbean and departing for a seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was investigating and working to remove the yacht, which sank, Estrada said.

Both Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line provided complimentary shuttle service to Bayside Marketplace. Norwegian Cruise Line handed out sandwiches and drinks to passengers at the terminal. The sightseeing boat was spotted back in Bayside by WSVN-TV, where footage was captured of Fish and Wildlife Conservation investigators trying to determine how the crash happened. "There were other people inside the boat, it was a tour boat that was involved from Bayside, and the patients that had no complaints were taken back to Bayside," Rodriguez said. At least one of the 13 people taken to the hospital was airlifted. Although the extent of injuries of those hospitalized has not been released, those hurt are expected to recover.

In a text to booked guests, Carnival asked that they not arrive at the cruise port until advised that they should do so. The hope is that the terminal will not become overrun with embarking and disembarking guests by delaying the arrival of embarking passengers. 15,000 cruisers remain off the coast in South Florida as a Miami boat accident has shutdown the waterway to all maritime traffic into PortMiami. Coast Guard and local law enforcement marine units may enforce the safety zone from 11 A.M. On June 25th until the vessel is removed and investigation has concluded. The safety zone will cover navigable waters within 300 yards of the submersed vessel.

At the other end of the cruise experience, incoming passengers were told not to go to the terminal. Smith said "we can see Miami from here" and the captain said it will take about two hours to arrive in the port when they get an all-clear. Along with offloading guests, the ships must also be provided with food and supplies, and do crew sign on and sign-offs. The ships are currently stacked up in a single file line for entry with Norwegian Escape, MSC Seascape, and Carnival Celebration. Norwegian Escape, MSC Seascape, and Carnival Celebration are underway and heading towards the sea buoy, where the harbor pilot will board the vessels and bring them up the North Channel.

A Miami police dive team was called in, and the missing man was later found dead, the station reported. For Carnival guests that arrived to the terminal, letters were handed advising they would get a $20 per person onboard credit (OBC) for reimbustment for food while they waited to embark. Carnival Cruise Line sent out a text message scheduled to embark yesteday asking them to please do not proceed to the cruise terminal until advised. Other cruise lines were not as straight forward with communication, but eventually sent text and handed letters out at the terminal. Thirteen people were sent to the hospital after two boats collided in the waters off PortMiami Sunday, officials said. "We found the other victim underwater after about a five-minutes search," Sanchez told WTVJ.

He told NBC6 he was supposed to board his cruise ship at 2 p.m., but it kept getting pushed back hour after hour. The man was pulled from the water by ferry workers, and he told them about his missing friend before he was taken to a hospital, the Miami Herald reported. During the 11 hour investigation and recovery, the United States Coast Guard established a temporary safety zone within 900 feet of the sunken vessel. A barge, tugboat, and numerous police vessels were at the scene with underwater divers.

The website cruisemapper.com showed the Celebration ending an eight-day cruise to the southern Caribbean and scheduled to depart Sunday for a seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise. An early-morning boat crash Sunday off Miami resulted in the death of one boater and left another seriously injured. The U.S. Coast Guard has given PortMiami approval to reopen to marine traffic after it was shut down Sunday, following a collision between two vessels that killed one person.

Boat crash with Fisher Island ferry is second deadly accident involving ferry since 2020 - Miami Herald

Boat crash with Fisher Island ferry is second deadly accident involving ferry since 2020.

Posted: Wed, 28 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

“The Pelican II reported no damage, and we set up a security perimeter around Government Cut, essentially closing down the Port of Miami,” he said. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is attempting to determine what led up to the boat crash. While she understand these things happen, Dana said the cruise lines could have better handled the situation. Carnival Cruises said they continued to keep their guests updated throughout the day. Port of Miami was shut down for several hours, but reopened around 6 p.m.

But some were seen watching from balconies as the ships arrived in the port. Sunday afternoon, a spokesperson for Miami International Airport said that cruise passengers affected by the crash were booked into numerous flights, with most airlines waiving the rebooking fee. Currently, approximately 15,000 cruise passengers are waiting out the closure in the anchorage area of PortMiami, along with numerous cargo vessels. The closure will also impact all cruise guests embarking on Sunday afternoon.

Both channels in PortMiami, North Harbor (cruise ship lane) and the South Channel (cargo lane) are now open to maritime traffic and are moving as scheduled. The Coast Guard received a call that a yacht had collided with a ferry vessel Pelican II around 4 to 5 a.m., according to spokesperson Ryan Estrada. By the time Coast Guard personnel arrived, the City of Miami Department of Fire-Rescue had rescued one person and recovered one body, he said. While access to the PortMiami was shut down for 11 hours, more than 15,000 passengers were stuck out at sea and more than 16,000 passengers were waiting to leave on cruise ships.

PortMiami said on Twitter late Sunday afternoon that the three ships were all scheduled to depart “no later than midnight” — six to eight hours late. A port spokeswoman said the closure disrupted travel plans for 33,000 passengers scheduled to arrive and depart Sunday on three ships. Nick Pirozzi told the station that he and thousands of other cruise ship passengers were stranded for hours without communication from the cruise line.

That led crews to call in a dive team, which immediately launched a search-and-rescue operation. On his way to the hospital, the injured victim said his friend was on the boat and missing, said Public Information Officer Pete Sanchez. The NCL Escape had 5,081 passengers scheduled to debark Sunday and approximately 5,000 to embark, Trutie said. Cruisemapper.com said it was returning from a seven-day Caribbean cruise on Sunday and scheduled to depart on the same itinerary. Port spokeswoman Suzy Trutie said Carnival Celebration had 6,216 to debark and about 6,100 to embark.