MSC Seascape Suddenly Breaks From Moorings at Private Island
There’s trouble in paradise at MSC Ocean Cay – MSC Cruises’ private island and marine reserve in the Bahamas.
Stormy weather rolled in during MSC Seascape’s visit to the exclusive destination on Saturday, May 31, 2025, with high winds causing the 170,412-gross ton vessel to break free from its moorings.
“Our ship the MSC Seascape just broke away from the dock. We are safe, but Wi-fi is spotty. Will update when I can,” one current guest shared with a video on Facebook.
She further explained what happened in the video clip: “So we are docked, it is not near the time for us to depart yet. So, the wind came and broke the tether lines right here, and the ship started moving.”
Another current passenger also shared that the gangway had actually fallen into the water as well. But thankfully, no injuries to crew members or guests have been reported.
“Wicked storm blew into Ocean Cay. Gangway in the ocean, snapped ropes, and station keeping off the pier. All good and some grade A pool entertainment,” he said.
Local weather forecasts do call for chances of low wind and rain showers, but the footage makes the storm look more severe than what was predicted.
Video and photographs from witnesses also show that the gate to the pier – where cruise guests would normally embark and disembark from the ship – had been closed for the time being for safety reasons.
A large crowd can be seen huddled under a couple awnings to escape the wind and the rain. It’s unclear how long they may be waiting, as it can take several hours – or even days – to fix broken mooring lines.
It’s also unclear if the 5,877-guest ship will be delayed leaving the private island at the end of the day – with cruise tracking data showing that the vessel is supposed to set sail again at 8 p.m. EST.
Ocean Cay was the second and final stop on a 3-night getaway sailing to the Bahamas, with the cruise ship expected to return to Miami, Florida, on the morning of June 1, 2025.
Do Moorings Break Often?
People often say things happen in threes, and now we’ve officially had three unusual occurrences with mooring lines in 2025.
Just one day before this event, Norwegian Epic broke free from its moorings in Catania, Italy, also due to strong winds. But in this case, guests using the gangway were thrown into the water below – with a married couple who fell into the harbor, requiring a trip to the hospital.
Ocean Cay is not currently under a wind advisory, while the Italian port was under a moderate warning for sustained wind speeds of 26 to 39 miles per hour and bigger gusts reaching up to 57 miles per hour.
And in March of 2025, Holland America Line’s Rotterdam actually had to skip a port call after rough seas and swells caused the mooring lines to snap while the 99,935-gross-ton vessel was attempting to dock.
While cruise ship moorings can break in certain circumstances or when under extreme stress, it’s not exactly common.
Read Also: I Spent a Day at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve: Here’s What You Should Know
Cruise ship moorings are designed to be quite tough to stand up to strong currents, inclement weather, and to keep extremely heavy vessels safely tethered to the pier.
However, it’s worth noting that weather patterns have become weirder and more extreme – with some scientists coining the term “global weirding.”
This means that storms are also becoming more intense, which feels ominous with the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season officially beginning on June 1, 2025 – especially as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted a stormy year.
But while stronger or unpredictable weather might lead to more mooring mishaps in port, rest assured that cruise ships are equipped with the latest and greatest weather tracking technology – making them one of the safest places to be during a storm.
MSC Seascape Suddenly Breaks From Moorings at Private Island