Celebrity Cruise Ship Breaks Mooring Lines, Scratched by Refueling Ship in Minor Collision

A 14-night sailing out of Buenos Aires, Argentina was delayed after Celebrity Equinox broke from its mooring lines and started to drift. 

The drifting ship then had a slight collision with a refueling ship that left a long scratch along the side of the hull. 

Online video of the scratch left some social media comments wondering about the damage with one saying, “Hopefully it’s just the paint and there’s no structural issues.”

Equinox in Buenos Aires scratched by refueling ship while drifting in the wind
byu/Chauncemeister incelebritycruises

What Happened?

Passengers were still in the middle of the embarkation process out of Buenos Aires when some stronger winds began to pick up, with some gusts up to 40mph.  One or more mooring lines broke free and the 2,880-capacity ship began to slowly move away from the pier.

As the bow of the 122,000 gross ton ship swung out, the aft of the vessel made contact with the pier, and the side of the ship rubbed against a refueling tanker that was nearby.

This resulted in a very noticeable scratch along Celebrity Equinox’s hull.  The ship breaking free also caused the embarkation gangway to pull away from the dock, which left it hanging against the side of the ship.

Tugboats were then called right away to stabilize the ship and push it back into position. Because the incident happened during boarding, the process was paused for a couple hours while a new gangway was locked into place and the ship was inspected for safety.

Impact on the 14-Night Itinerary

No injuries were reported among the 2,800+ passengers or the 1,200 crew. While the damage looks to be mostly cosmetic, the ship did not depart on Saturday evening as originally scheduled.

The ship remained docked overnight and officially headed out to sea just before 11:00 AM on Sunday.

The delay has impacted the schedule slightly. While the visit to Montevideo, Uruguay was not cancelled, the ship’s time in port was cut a little short. The rest of the Patagonia and Antarctica itinerary is currently expected to go on as scheduled.

Some passengers onboard shared photos of the damage on social media with one saying, “The gangway went off the pier and was hanging against the ship partially submerged. Crazy situation, but sounds like we’ll resume boarding soon.”

Celebrity Equinox is scheduled to arrive back in Buenos Aires on January 3, 2026.