A couple days into the ShipRocked cruise, high winds and ocean swells caused the Carnival Magic ship to slam into a pier in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on Tuesday (February 6th). The incident has derailed the ship’s itinerary, forcing the cancellation of a planned stop at Grand Cayman.
The cruise, which set sail from Miami on Saturday (February 4th), features performances by I Prevail, Killswitch Engage, Beartooth, Highly Suspect, Badflower, and more. The ship wasn’t even supposed to dock at Jamaica until Wednesday, but headed toward land a day earlier due to the high winds and choppy waters at sea.
The Carnival Magic ship docked at 8:10 a.m. and let a number of passengers off to spend the day in Ocho Rios. Unfortunately, at around 11:00 a.m. the pier began to collapse under pressure from the wind and sea swells, causing the ship to slam into the dock, resulting in noticeable damage to the pier and the ship.
Due to the dangerous situation, the Carnival Magic had to wait until another cruise ship departed from a different dock. Eventually the passengers who had been ashore were able to safely re-board the ship several hours later in the evening.
Carnival Cruises issued the following statement:
“Carnival Magic was involved in an incident while in Ocho Rios, Jamaica on Tuesday morning, Feb. 6 when strong winds and swells caused the pier fender to collapse under pressure, and the ship made contact with the pier. The ship was alongside at 8:10 a.m. and the incident occurred at 11:00 a.m. There were no injuries, and all the ship’s services remained operational. The ship left the area for the safety of everyone on board and later docked at another nearby pier so that guests who went ashore Tuesday morning could rejoin the ship. The guests who were ashore at the time were taken care of by the Carnival team and shore excursion partners. Given the weather conditions in the region, Carnival Magic will remain in Ocho Rios on Tuesday night. Its visit to Grand Cayman is cancelled for Wednesday.”
There appear to be no injuries, and music performances on the ship are ongoing, as fans await word on an updated itinerary. Consequence photographer Amy Harris is currently on the ShipRocked cruise and sent us the video and photo gallery of the damage below.
Damage on ShipRocked cruise ship after Carnival Magic slammed into Jamaica pier. pic.twitter.com/L4XVJvaGgz
— Heavy Consequence (@heavyconsequenc) February 7, 2024
Photo Gallery: ShipRocked Cruise slams into Jamaica Pier (click to expand and scroll through):