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A huge cruise ship was so eager to get to Manhattan this morning that it actually slammed into the island. The Norwegian Spirit--which is a boat belonging to Norwegian Cruise Lines--apparently took a turn too wide and rammed into Pier 90 at 50th St. and 12th Ave. Typical out-of-towners: they never know how to drive in the city!
No one on board was injured and the Dept. of Buildings said that the pier was damaged and in need of structural reinforcement, but not in danger of collapse. Passengers noticed that the parking structure (the pier) was coming up awfully close to the ship, but didn't feel much of an impact as concrete crumbled into the Hudson. It's a testament to how large modern cruise ships are--"Iceberg? What iceberg?"
In addition to the Dept. of Buildings, the Coast Guard and Dept of Emergency Management were also quick to the scene. The Navy SEALS have been camped out at Pier 90 with one of their functional watercraft for Fleet Week, but they fortunately did not have to be deployed.
Norwegian Cruise Lines advertises itself as "Freestyle Cruising." They may want to rein that in a little.
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no tug boat or pilot boat assistance?
Typical out-of-towners: they never know how to drive in the city!
While the linked articles say the boat was not assisted by tugs and that the captain was at the helm I was under the impression that harbor pilots took over for ship captains in ports.
New York harbor is an area where a pilot is mandatory, so there was a pilot onboard. Pilots are in an advisory position, so the article is correct in stating that the captain was at the helm (well, technically, he "had the conn," but whatever). Pilots never take over for the captain; the captain is always responsible for the safe navigation of his ship.
I don't know the engineering layout of this vessel, but it likely has a bow thruster and z-drives, which means a tug is not necessary to bring it alongside a pier.