A 1,000-foot cruise ship bound for the United Kingdom collided with a seawall at the French port of Le Havre on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, after being dislodged from its mooring by powerful winds.
Footage captured the German-operated AIDAperla drifting through the harbor before impacting the concrete structure. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. local time when gusts of up to 68 mph were reported in the area. The ship's mooring lines reportedly snapped, pushing it away from the pier.
While no passengers were injured, the collision resulted in two gangways being lost or left hanging from the ship's side, and local media reported a small gash in the hull. Passengers were unable to reboard the vessel immediately. Approximately 500 passengers were reportedly waiting on buses while tugboats worked to secure the ship.
The AIDAperla was operating a seven-day itinerary from Hamburg, with scheduled stops in Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Le Havre, and Southampton. The ship remained in Le Havre as of Wednesday evening. Passengers were informed that port calls in Zeebrugge and Rotterdam had been canceled. The vessel is expected to depart Le Havre on Thursday evening and proceed directly to Hamburg.
Officials are conducting inspections to assess the full extent of the damage before the ship resumes its voyage. Passengers were permitted to continue going ashore in France until Thursday afternoon.