On Friday, 30 May 2025, the Holland America Line cruise ship Westerdam experienced a gangway collapse while docked in Ketchikan, Alaska. The incident occurred amid strong wind gusts, causing the vessel to momentarily shift away from the pier.
According to passenger accounts, two mooring lines snapped due to the sudden wind gusts, leading to the ship drifting slightly from the dock. This movement caused the gangway—the walkway connecting the ship to shore—to fall into the water. Fortunately, no injuries were reported during the incident.
A passenger on board shared details on the Cruise Critic forum, stating, “Fortunately nobody was injured. According to our crew there were two ropes that broke which caused the ship to drift and the gangway fell.”
The gangway was promptly retrieved, and the Westerdam was re-secured to the dock without further complications. The ship continued its scheduled itinerary following the incident.
This event marks the third cruise ship affected by mooring line failures in just one week, with incidents reported in different parts of the world. Earlier in the week, the Norwegian Epic faced a mooring lines snap in Sicily, and the MSC Seascape experienced a similar issue at Ocean Cay in the Bahamas.