Cruise ship collides with iceberg off Alaska coast

The words “Titanic moment” may be the last thing you want to hear on a boat, but that was the phrase used by a passenger aboard the Titanic. Carnival spirit cruise ship last week after the ship unexpectedly struck an iceberg.

No one on board was injured and the ship sustained no damage in the incident. A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line described the incident as a collision between the ship and “a piece of floating ice.”

Carnival spirit sailed in Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska, a waterway south of the city of Juneau known for its spectacular beauty – and chunks of floating ice.

Videos of the incident circulated on social media afterwards, with several passengers filming the ship hitting the iceberg.

Cassandra Goskie posted a video on TikTok in which a voice can be heard saying, “If we die, it was totally worth it, it’s a Titanic moment,” just before the ship hit the chunk of ice.

Meanwhile, passenger Saurabh Singhal described in a Facebook post that the ship was “stationed for hours while damage was assessed”.

“An assessment has determined that there is no damage to the hull of the ship. The ship continued its voyage and there is no impact to operations,” the Carnival spokesperson told CNN Travel.

The Carnival spirit completed her seven-day Alaska cruise uninterrupted on Tuesday, returning to Seattle, Wash. The ship has since embarked on another roundtrip to Alaska, this time for 14 days.

In 2022, Norwegian Cruise Line ship Norwegian Sun struck a chunk of iceberg while sailing in Alaska, damaging the starboard bow. No injuries were reported.

Alaska is a popular cruise destination, but resistance has reportedly emerged in recent years among locals concerned about congested waterways in the region.

Alaskan waters are among the most difficult for cruise ships to navigate.

“That ice is hard and can damage the hull or the propellers,” said Capt. John Herring, a pilot in southeast Alaska who boards ships in the region to ensure safe passage, in 2022. “Strong winds and currents make navigating through icy water even more difficult.”

Despite these difficult conditions, “we rarely, if ever, see any problems related to icy water voyages,” said cruise expert Chris Gray Faust, editor in chief of Cruise Critic, a review site and online cruise community.

“Today’s cruise ships are purpose-built to sail different waters,” Gray Faust told CNN Travel.

“Those who sail in Alaska not only have the ability to brave icy waters, but also have experienced captains who are familiar with the landscape. Therefore, the reported incident did not cause any problems for the vessel or the navigation.”