Cruise Ship Carrying 4,000 People Crashes Into San Francisco Pier

A Princess Cruises ship carrying nearly some 4,000 people careened into a San Francisco peer this week while attempting to dock, in what the company described as an “unexpected contact” with the Pier 27 dock at the Port of San Francisco.

The US Coast Guard is investigating the Thursday incident.

“There were no injuries and at no time were any guests or crew in danger,” the company told the press, adding “The ship is safely alongside and disembarkation is complete.”

The ship was returning from an Alaska cruise which departed June 26, according to CruiseMapper.nmk

Footage of the incident showed the extent of the damage, including a large hole or dent in the side of the ship. According to a Princess spokesperson, the extent of the damage hasn’t been fully ascertained, and the next departure time is “still being determined.”

Ruby Princess cruise ship just slammed into Pier 27 in San Francisco. Source tells me bar pilot “tried docking on a 3knot ebb current which is insane.” Bar pilots are captains who board cruise/cargo ships and tankers to guide them through the bay’s sand bars and into port. pic.twitter.com/y1nAJ31WvX

— Dan Noyes (@dannoyes) July 6, 2023

According to reports, around 3,000 passengers and 1,200 crew were on the vessel.

“I noticed we were spinning pretty quick, to be that close to the dock, and I was mid-ship, portside, looked out the window and we smacked into the dock,” Sacramento resident and passenger Paul Zasso told ABC7.

Another passenger said that while the effects were minimal, “you could definitely” feel it. “It wasn’t like things falling off the shelves or anything like that, kind of like when you get the tugboats coming up against us. So yeah … it was different,” Jeremy Jordan told the outlet.

“It was so funny, because one of the dock guys, you can hear him yell out like ‘whoa’ and then you can kind of hear it just slowly going in,” Mr. Jordan continued. “It’s ironic, because I think it was yesterday the captain was talking about how he goes into docks and how unpredictable the currents are. So yeah, it’s a challenge for them to be able to do that.”

Here’s a look at the damage on the Ruby Princess cruise ship after it hit the dock at San Francisco’s Pier 27. https://t.co/xDT2aTlvIa pic.twitter.com/aO3yOfnkWR

— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) July 6, 2023

Passenger Jim Simpson told KGO-TV that he and his family are still waiting to go back to Alaska.

“I don’t swim that good. I just think they patch it up,” he said, adding “It’s a 10-day cruise, there’s plenty of time … We can make up time moving and things like that. So I don’t think it’s going to be an issue.”