Cruise Ship Hits Pier Structure in Key West

Silversea Cruises’ ship Silver Spirit found itself in a bit of a snafu last week when it hit a concrete block while trying to leave the harbor in Key West.

The ship was departing from Mallory Square at 6:30 pm on November 27 when high winds prevented it from turning around to leave. While moving back into position at the pier, Silver Spirit crashed into a “mooring dolphin;” a large concrete block atop pilings that keep the ships in a line and away from the pier when docking. The accident only left some marks on the ship, but the mooring dolphin was destroyed.

No one was injured, and the Silversea ship was inspected by authorities before continuing on its journey shortly after midnight. According to Key West officials, the damage is estimated at around $500,000 and the dock at Mallory Square won’t be operational for at least three months. This means that no ships will be able to dock there until it is fixed or replaced. Silversea sent an insurance consultant to Key West to estimate the pier damages.

A time-lapse video of the incident was recorded by Broadwave Live Cams.