Beda Pavek Passengers aboard Norwegian Epic faced a chaotic and unsettling day in Catania, Sicily, after the cruise ship unexpectedly broke free from its moorings on May 30, 2025.
The incident occurred just after 1 p.m. local time when guests heard loud bangs and watched as the mooring lines snapped violently under pressure.
Eyewitnesses saw concrete mooring fixtures rip out of the ground and slam into the front of the ship.
One guest wrote on Facebook, “We heard this loud bang… the ropes were pulling out of the ground and went flying into the ship. The boat kept moving backwards. A woman was walking up to go into the boat and fell into the water.”
Emergency services arrived to assist the woman, who was reportedly okay. However, with the ship now drifting from the dock and high winds making conditions worse, the captain had no choice but to take the ship out to sea and wait until it was safe to return.
Long delays and little communication
The cruise line left hundreds of passengers stranded at the port in Catania with little guidance or information. Despite having the NCL app installed, many reported that no messages were being sent out unless users were connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi, which was not accessible to those ashore.
“We’ve been here since noon,” wrote one frustrated guest. “There’s not enough water or seats, and it’s hot. No one knows anything.”
Social media is filled with complaints about NCL’s communication failures. While a few guests praised the captain and crew for handling the dangerous situation as best they could, the general consensus among those on land was confusion, concern, and disappointment.
“We’re just hanging around not knowing what’s going on,” wrote another user. “NCL customer services, can you update us please?”
Crew members told some passengers to return to the city and come back later, though the advised times varied wildly. Many passengers reported a 5 p.m. return estimate, while others heard 6 p.m. or later. At 6:31 p.m., one guest reported seeing the ship reversing into port.
This video shows the chaos and the line of everyone trying to re-board after the incident.
What caused the incident on the Norwegian Epic?
Several passengers have defended the cruise line, stating that weather was to blame. High winds throughout the region reportedly forced multiple ships out of port, not just the NCL Epic. “It was no fault of the ship,” wrote one guest. “They can’t control mother nature.”
However, others questioned the reliability of port infrastructure, with one user saying the mooring hardware “exploded” as it tore away from the pier. Calls for an investigation into the condition of the moorings and port facilities are already beginning to circulate among cruise forums.
There’s also speculation that the incident may have caused minor structural damage to the ship, though this has not been confirmed by Norwegian Cruise Line. Videos circulating on social media allegedly show mooring points ripping out of the concrete and flying into the hull.
Current itinerary for Norwegian Epic
Norwegian Epic is currently sailing a 10-day round-trip Mediterranean cruise that began in Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, on May 24 and is set to conclude on June 3, 2025. The itinerary includes stops in Greece, Malta, and Italy, with today’s scheduled port of call being Catania, Sicily.
Prior to the incident, the ship had visited Santorini, Athens, Katakolon, and Valletta. After leaving Sicily, the remaining ports include Naples, Livorno (for Florence and Pisa), and Cannes, before returning to Rome.
What’s next for the Norwegian Epic?
By early evening, guests reported that the ship was slowly returning to port. Some noted that Norwegian Cruise Line was considering busing passengers to another port (potentially Syracuse) if winds remained too strong. Others confirmed the ship was able to dock again in Catania by around 6:30 p.m., though reboarding times were still unclear.
Despite the dramatic turn of events, no serious injuries have been confirmed, and the cruise appears to be continuing, albeit behind schedule and with plenty of frayed nerves among guests.
As of this writing, Norwegian Cruise Line has not released an official statement. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more details become available.
The damage was to the aft port side and appears not to be structural in nature. That part of the ship is skirt and not part of the water tight hull. It’s clear that the toe down bollards were not rated for this condition or they had deteriorated severely. We were on this ship today and were stuck on shore for several hours. Comms from NCL were non existent even late in the day when people were crowding the intake area. No one from NCL made a single announcement as to what was going on. The crowd became upset and rumors were swirling around that made things worse.
We were on board when the ECHO ECHO ECHO alarm was announced. In defense of NCL control of the dock was completely out of their hands. Everyone saw the ship out in the sea. I would have gone to have a nice meal and walk around more…the ship would not leave people.