Five months after cruise ship Silver Spirit crashed into a mooring due to high winds, the Key West pier reopened this week.
The Mallory Square cruise ship port was restored, with the first vessel pulling in on May 5. Only 5 ships were canceled, while 15 were relocated to the other piers.
On November 27, 2018, upon leaving call port Key West FL, due to heavy winds, Silversea's ship Silver Spirit collided with The Fisherman Wharf (at Mallory Square). The ship departed the berth at ~6:30 pm and started to turn around when strong winds stopped it and pushed it back towards the dock. The crash resulted in minor hull damages and no injuries, but the structure sustained damage that left the cruise berth unusable.
The accident occurred during the 5-day Caribbean cruise (itinerary Nov 23-28) from San Juan (Puerto Rico) to Fort Lauderdale, visiting Samana (Dominican Republic) and Key West FL.
Silversea will pay not only for the repairs, estimated at between US$500,000-$750,000 but will also have to reimburse the port city for passenger fees lost during the 5-month-long restoration period, which could be another US$50,000.