A freighter hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing this to happen to collapse into the Patapsco River early Tuesday morning. In addition to the immediate impact, which is believed to have left six dead, the accident also affected the families of these victims and the cruise industry.
Dali, the 1,000-foot-long Singaporean-flagged ship, accidentally hit the bridge connecting Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, an accident according to reports. As cleanup and rescue efforts take place, cruise lines have had to adjust their plans to avoid the Port of Baltimore.
Three major cruise lines sail from Baltimore, including Royal Caribbean International, Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line. According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), This year, twelve ships for a total of 115 will call at the Port of Baltimore.
What is difficult for the sector is that the schedule for restarting arriving cruise ships is not yet known, so these companies are monitoring the situation and adjusting their schedules.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International’s Vision of the Seas returns to port on April 4 and as the situation is unknown at this time, they are working on docking alternatives.
“Due to the impact of the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Thursday, April 4, Vision of the seas will now complete its current cruise in Norfolk, Virginia. Our onboard guests receive compensation and complimentary shuttle transportation, as well as Wi-Fi and phone calls to customize their travel arrangements.
For Vision During the upcoming cruises on April 4 and 12, the ship will depart from Norfolk. Our guests who have booked with us receive compensation for the necessary adjustments to their holiday. After returning from the April 12 cruise, Vision will go to the Bahamas for the previously scheduled maintenance.
Our guests and travel partners will be directly informed of these updates.” Roayal Caribbean shared wtkr.com.
Carnival
Carnival Legend was scheduled to return from a cruise in the Bahamas on March 31, but will instead end its voyage in Norfolk. The company will offer free buses to take passengers back to Baltimore.
The ship’s next voyage will also depart and return to Norfolk versus Baltimore. Nothing is known yet about Carnival Pride, which will leave Baltimore for the Caribbean next month.
“Our thoughts remain with the affected families and first responders in Baltimore,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We appreciate President Biden’s commitment today to use all available resources to reopen the Port of Baltimore to maritime traffic as quickly as possible. Now that these plans are finalized, we will inform our future cruise guests about when we return to Baltimore, but in the meantime we appreciate the quick response and support from officials in Norfolk.” said Carnival in the rack.
Norwegian cruise lines and American cruise lines
Norwegian Cruise Line does not have scheduled cruises until later this year and river cruise operator American Cruise Lines will monitor developments to adjust their schedule.
The impact on the cruise industry
The impact will also be felt on the economic region as the industry supports local businesses. Cruises generate nearly 400 jobs and $63 million in revenue each year, and more than 444,000 people left the Port of Baltimore last year, the most since 2012.
