“This was the perfect, literally, the perfect storm,” stated Juneau Harbormaster Matt Creswell. He was describing the rare and powerful thunderstorm that struck Juneau, Alaska on June 16, sending Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge drifting from its dock.
But the quick thinking of the ship’s crew turned a somewhat chaotic situation into a lesson in preparedness, preventing damage to both their ship and Juneau’s busy port.
Wind gusts of up to 60 mph were reported in the storm, enough to overpower the heavy ropes that held Celebrity Edge to the dock.
What made this storm so unusual was not just its intensity, but the wind direction. Creswell explained it hit the ship broadside at its moorings, putting too much strain on the lines. The ship was basically a huge sail, in the direct path of the oncoming wind.
Rare Event Was Juneau’s First Thunderstorm Warning
This was such a rare event that the National Weather Service issued Juneau’s first-ever severe thunderstorm warning for the city itself.
While the NWS Juneau office had issued one other such warning for the broader Southeast Alaska region nearly six years ago, this specific warning for the city proper showed the unusual nature of Monday’s storm.
Decision to Untie from Pier
As the mooring lines began to snap, Celebrity Edge‘s crew quickly sprang into action. They made an important decision: to fully untie the ship from the pier. This wasn’t a sign of losing control (although it appeared that way to onlookers), but a calculated move confirmed by Harbormaster Creswell and other reports.
By letting go completely, they prevented the ship from pulling against the ropes, which could have badly damaged the dock or even ripped a hole in the ship’s hull. Instead, the massive 130,818 gross ton vessel was allowed to drift into the Gastineau Channel.
Other Ships in Port
This wasn’t just about Celebrity Edge itself. Several other large cruise ships were also docked nearby, creating a potential for a domino effect. These included Holland America’s Eurodam and Koningsdam, Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess, and Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Luminosa, as well as the smaller National Geographic Sea Lion.
Video footage even shows Carnival Luminosa backing up, seemingly trying to create space and avoid a potential crash with the drifting Celebrity Edge. Another cruiser, on a different ship nearby, described feeling the Celebrity Edge drift towards them.
Coming Back to the Pier
Once Celebrity Edge was clear of the immediate docking area, the crew engaged the ship’s powerful engines and side thrusters. This allowed them to steady its position against the strong winds and currents.
Crew members also worked quickly to clear the broken ropes from the water, a necessary step before they could safely re-dock.
As the worst of the storm began to ease by late afternoon, Celebrity Edge returned to the pier.
No Damage
There was no reported damage to Juneau’s port facilities and no injuries to anyone on board or ashore. Harbormaster Creswell confirmed that the port’s “infrastructure” was untouched.
Accounts from passengers and the Royal Caribbean Group, Celebrity’s parent company, confirmed the ship itself appeared unharmed, stating the Captain “maneuvered the ship back to the dock where passengers and crew boarded to resume the scheduled itinerary.”
The vessel was able to continue its 7-night Alaska itinerary from Seattle, with upcoming stops in Skagway and Victoria, B.C., on schedule.
While some passengers, already on shore, expressed frustration about a perceived lack of immediate communication from Celebrity – with updates sometimes coming from bus drivers before the ship’s app – those onboard reported announcements were made about the situation and the plan to re-dock.
The cruise line was likely focused on managing the situation at hand before updating its app. Many social media comments from passengers praised the crew’s professionalism, with one Reddit user simply stating, “The crew handled this like a boss.”
U.S. Coast Guard Investigates
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the incident as part of standard protocol. “Our investigations division, they’re running with a standard investigation, just like we would do with any similar such incident, just to investigate if there’s anything that could have gone better or not,” a public affairs officer for the Coast Guard said.
The representative said that videos from the public that have been posted online have been helpful in their preliminary investigation process. The officer also admitted that there “didn’t appear to be any significant damage” to the ship or pier.
Other Recent Incidents
Recently, several other cruise ships have faced similar problems with strong winds breaking mooring lines.
Holland America Line’s Westerdam had a gangway collapse in Ketchikan, Alaska, on May 30 due to high winds. Around the same time, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic broke free in Sicily, and MSC Cruises’ MSC Seascape had issues in the Bahamas. It’s still pretty rare, but these recent incidents reveal some of the challenges ships face when sudden, powerful winds strike while docked.