Friday morning, January 22, Costa Cruises' ship Costa Smeralda was supposed to dock in Port Savona, Italy, and upon maneuvering, the vessel hit an RMG (rail-mounted gantry crane).
No one was injured, but a lifeboat from the ship was severely damaged. It was difficult to assess whether further damage had occurred on the port side of Costa Smeralda.
There is also damage to the quay and the cruise terminal, but this is still being investigated by the local authorities.
Costa Smeralda was already back in service after Costa's restart in 2021 but has now been taken out of service and replaced by Costa Deliziosa, which is due to resume on January 31, 2021.
A statement from Costa Cruises said:
"Costa Cruises confirms that the Costa Smeralda hit a land crane in zone 16 of the port of Savona while calling for the quay this morning. Although there was no structural damage to the ship's hull, the contact caused a lifeboat to fall into the sea (due to a winch failure) and resultant damage to the lifeboat. The lifeboat was recovered immediately, and initial checks revealed no further damage to the ship's structure.
"Costa Crociere staff and the relevant authorities are on site to clarify the causes of the incident. Costa immediately made himself available to the local authorities and offered full cooperation. The company immediately initiated the necessary investigations to understand the course of the event. Costa Crociere emphasizes that there were no injuries among the ground and flight crew. There were no passengers on board.
"The Costa Smeralda will remain in the port of Savona as planned. Although the incident has no impact on the ship's fitness to sail, staying in port will also enable the necessary repairs to be carried out in the shortest possible time."
For more Costa Smeralda accidents and incidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.