(Trends Wide) — A Princess Cruises ship crashed into a San Francisco pier as it was about to dock after a 10-day Alaskan cruise, authorities said.
The 113,561-ton Ruby Princess “made unexpected dock contact at Pier 27” in the port of San Francisco on Thursday morning, Princess Cruises said in a statement obtained by Trends Wide.
“There were no injuries and at no time were any guests or crew in danger,” the company said. “The ship is safely alongside and the landing is complete.”
Passenger Paul Zasso said he knew something was wrong when the ship approached the dock.
Princess Cruises said it was still planning to embark passengers on the Ruby Princess, but it was not clear when the ship would leave for Alaska. Credit: KGO
“I could tell we were turning pretty fast, for being so close to the pier,” Zasso told Trends Wide affiliate KGO. “I was amidships, on the port side, and I looked out the window and we hit the pier.”
The US Coast Guard is investigating the accident, Petty Officer Hunter Schnabel told Trends Wide.
The ship, with a capacity for 3,080 passengers and 1,200 crew, sustained damage to the left rear. The pier was also damaged, according to Princess Cruises.
The 290-meter Ruby Princess was renovated in 2018, according to Princess Cruises. Credit: KGO
As investigators assess damage to both the ship and the pier, Princess Cruises said it still planned to embark passengers for another 10-day round trip to Alaska. But it wasn’t immediately clear when the Ruby Princess would be able to start her next voyage.
Jim Simpson and his family are among those hoping to set sail for Alaska.
“I don’t swim that well. I think they’ll just fix it,” Simpson told KGO.
But he said he’s not worried.
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“It’s a 10-day cruise, there’s plenty of time,” he told the affiliate. “We can make up time on the move and things like that. So I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
