AIDAperla Breaks Free and Hits Quay, Cruise Cut Short
Key Aspects:
Strong winds in Le Havre, France, caused AIDAperla to break away from her berth and make contact with the quay on September 8, as shown in witness videos shared on social media.
No injuries were reported, and tugboats helped return the ship to her berth before technicians began inspecting the vessel.
AIDAperla missed her scheduled September 9 call in Zeebrugge, though there have been no further confirmed itinerary adjustments.
A port call in Le Havre, France, took a dramatic turn for guests aboard AIDAperla on September 8, 2026. Around 4:00 p.m., strong winds parted the ship’s forward mooring lines, causing AIDAperla to break away from her berth at the Port of Le Havre and drift into a quay wall.
The 3,286-passenger vessel was on a 7-night sailing that departed from Hamburg on September 5, 2026. She had only completed one port call in Southampton on September 7 before docking in Le Havre.
According to Weather Underground records, wind gusts in Le Havre reached speeds around 35 miles per hour Tuesday afternoon. A video shared on Facebook by a witness showed the moments after these gusts broke AIDAperla free from her berth and pushed her backward, causing her stern to make contact with the quay.
During this incident, both gangways were torn away, becoming floating obstructions in the harbor. Photos shared by a passenger show one of the gangways hanging off the port side of the ship as she drifted.
“Our ship, AIDAperla, had this accident. We are still docked in Le Havre,” the witness said (translated from German).
Around 500 AIDAperla guests were on shore excursions at the time and were temporarily unable to reboard the ship. The port was temporarily closed while crews worked to secure the vessel and clear the harbor.
TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 3 was also docked in Le Havre at the time. She had to be held by tugboats, and her departure was delayed by two hours as a result of the port conditions.
Tugboats were deployed to assist the vessel and help her return to her berth. In a statement at 9:22 p.m., HAROPA PORT said AIDAperla had been secured again and passengers were boarding safely. No injuries were reported aboard the ship or on the dock, while navigation through the port gradually resumed.
AIDA Cruises has confirmed that the ship made contact with the quay and is undergoing a thorough inspection by technicians and authorities. According to German media reports, AIDAperla also requires clearance from the responsible classification society before she can depart Le Havre.
AIDAperla Misses Zeebrugge Following Incident
The sailing was originally scheduled to leave Le Havre at 8:00 p.m. on September 8 and continue to Zeebrugge on September 9. As a result of this incident, the ship instead remained in Le Havre and the Zeebrugge port call was cancelled.
The ship’s next scheduled port call in Rotterdam remains set for September 10, with no further itinerary changes confirmed. AIDAperla’s return to Hamburg is likewise still scheduled for September 12.
The next 7-night embarkation is scheduled to depart from Hamburg the same day, visiting Bergen, Nordfjordeid, Alesund, and Stavanger. It will return to Hamburg on September 19.
The Carnival-owned cruise line often offers combined, overlapping cruises. As such, some of the guests onboard were likely also booked on that following voyage for a combined 14-night sailing.