Cruise lines amend itineraries to avoid Baltimore following major bridge collapse

Baltimore, homeport to Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line, has closed to all maritime traffic following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, forcing multiple cruise ships to amend itineraries.

Tuesday’s bridge collapse, which led to the deaths of six construction workers repairing potholes on the bridge, has forced the Port of Baltimore to suspend shipping operations as the channel is blocked by the wreckage.

The bridge collapsed after the container ship Dali lost power early Tuesday morning while outbound, leading to a collision with one of the piers holding up the Francis Scott Bridge. The force of the collision destroyed the pier and caused the entire span of the bridge to fall.

Baltimore is a major container port on the eastern seaboard of the US, as well as a popular port for cruise calls and homeporting operations. No cruise ships were in port in Baltimore at the time of the accident.

Carnival Cruise Line on Wednesday confirmed it is temporarily moving Carnival Legend to Norfolk, Virginia, where the ship will homeport until the Port of Baltimore reopens.

A complimentary bus service from Norfolk back to Baltimore will be provided for passengers on the ship’s current cruise, which was due to end in Baltimore on Sunday.

“Our thoughts remain with the impacted families and first responders in Baltimore,” Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement.

“We appreciate the pledge made by President Biden… to dedicate all available resources to reopen Baltimore Harbor to marine traffic as soon as possible,” she added. “As those plans are finalised, we will update our future cruise guests on when we will return home to Baltimore, but in the meantime, we appreciate the quick response and support from officials in Norfolk.”

Norwegian Cruise Line also released a statement expressing sympathy for the families of those lost in the accident. The cruise line is not scheduled to resume homeporting operations in Baltimore until September. 

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that recently took place in Baltimore. Our sincerest thoughts are with the community and all those affected,” Norwegian Cruise Line said. “At this time there is no impact to our itineraries, as we do not have any voyages scheduled to depart from the city until later this year in September and October.

Royal Caribbean told The Washington Post it was “closely monitoring the situation, and our port logistics team is currently working on alternatives for Vision of the Seas’ ongoing and upcoming sailings.”

In addition to the three cruise lines homeporting in Baltimore, the port was also scheduled to receive port calls from Carnival Pride, Norwegian Sky and Azamara Journey this year.

Carnival Pride’s April port call is likely to be the only one impacted as the other port calls are scheduled for October and November respectively.