Holland America Ship’s Mooring Lines Snap in Strong Winds as Gangway Falls Into Water

Another cruise ship has broken free of its mooring lines as strong winds caused major problems for Holland America’s Westerdam while it was docked in Ketchikan, Alaska.  Some of the ship’s passengers witnessed the dramatic incident of snapping mooring lines and a collapsed gangway.

What Happened in Ketchikan

Westerdam was docked in Ketchikan as a stop in a 7-night Alaska itinerary when sudden and intense wind gusts began putting extra strain on the mooring lines.

Holland America ship Nieuw Amsterdam had previously canceled its visit to Ketchikan because of the high winds, but Westerdam felt it was safe enough to dock on May 30, 2025.

While official readings showed winds over 30 miles per hour, local reports in the Ketchikan Daily News quoted the cruise line’s spokesperson as saying gusts reached up to 60 knots (nearly 70 miles per hour).

A user on Cruise Critic noted the airport’s highest reported wind for Ketchikan was 32 knots (37 MPH) at the time, but it could have been a localized gust that swept through the port.

Eyewitnesses on board shared some pretty startling photos and stories. The sheer force of the wind caused several of the ship’s mooring lines to snap.

Facebook page “Anna and Joe’s Adventures” shared photos of the aftermath of the incident as you can see below:

As the gap between the ship and the dock grew wider, the gangway simply disconnected and fell. The photos show it looking almost like a vertical ladder.  As user “NHDOC” on Cruise Critic put it, “According to our crew there were two ropes that broke which caused the ship to drift and the gangway fell.”

A Fortunate Outcome and Quick Action

Thankfully, no one was on the gangway when it collapsed, and no injuries were reported.

Tugboats immediately held Westerdam against the pier. Cranes then lifted the damaged gangway.

Holland America Line confirmed the gangway was reconnected, and all guests reboarded later that day. One passenger shared on Cruise Critic, “I was there for this, we were fortunate and got on about 5 mins before it broke. We felt awful for those who were waiting to get back on.”

Itinerary Stays on Track

The Westerdam had started her journey in Seattle, Washington, on May 25. She visited Juneau and Sitka, and cruised through Tracy Arm Fjord, before Ketchikan. Despite the incident, the ship departed Ketchikan on schedule, heading to Victoria, British Columbia, then back to Seattle.

Other Ships Breaking from Mooring Lines

Just last week, Cruise Fever reported on a similar situation involving Norwegian Epic in Catania, Italy.

On May 30, 2025, dramatic video showed a mooring post snapping off and hitting Norwegian Epic as strong winds pushed the ship. This caused the ship to break free, injuring two passengers and delaying departure. Two passengers fell into the water and were rescued, then hospitalized for minor injuries. Winds up to 57 miles per hour played a significant role in that failure.

This past weekend also saw an MSC ship, MSC Seascape, experience a similar mooring incident at Ocean Cay, the cruise line’s private island. On May 31, 2025, strong winds from a sudden squall caused the ship’s mooring lines to snap, leading to its bow drifting away from the pier and delaying traffic to and from the ship for a time.

Why Ships Skip Ports

No one wants to hear that they have to skip a port of call, especially on a day that seems to be quite lovely with just a few strong winds.  But some of these gusts can cause major problems for cruise ships that are so big they can act like giant sails.  Whether it’s trying to dock safely or putting too much strain on mooring lines, cruise lines are very careful to make these decisions.

Not long ago we reported on a few ships that had to skip stops at Costa Maya because of several days of strong gusts. 

These incidents, like with Westerdam, Norwegian Epic, and MSC Seascape, are reminders of the reason cruise lines will call off a visit to a port based on wind.  People will still complain, but at least they will be safe.