Carnival Breeze made contact with a pier while docking in Cozumel, Mexico, on Monday, 31st August 2026, leaving visible scrapes and paint damage on the ship’s starboard hull.
The 3,690-guest Carnival Cruise Line ship was manoeuvring into its berth at approximately 9am when it contacted the corner of the pier. Carnival Jubilee was using an adjacent berth at the same pier, but the two cruise ships did not make contact.
Photos and video shared following the incident show an area of scraped paint on Carnival Breeze well above the waterline, between two sets of access doors.
One video records a loud impact as the ship reaches the pier. Footage also shows Carnival Breeze approaching the berth at an angle, although the circumstances leading to the contact have not been confirmed.
No injuries were reported, while passengers commenting online said they did not feel the impact or experience other problems when it occurred.
Carnival Breeze Continues Western Caribbean Cruise
The pier contact did not prevent Carnival Breeze from completing its scheduled visit to Cozumel. The ship had been due to remain in port until 5pm and departed on schedule.
Cozumel was the first port of call on the ship’s five-night Western Caribbean cruise, which departed Galveston, Texas, on Saturday, 29th August.
After spending Sunday at sea and visiting Cozumel on Monday, Carnival Breeze was scheduled to call at Progreso from 9am until 5pm on Tuesday, 1st September. The itinerary then includes another day at sea before the ship is due to return to Galveston on Thursday, 3rd September.
No damage to the Cozumel pier had been confirmed following the incident, and there was no indication that the schedules of other cruise ships would be affected.
The visible damage to Carnival Breeze appears to be above the waterline. The full extent of any damage to the vessel has not been confirmed.
Previous Cruise Ship Pier Incidents
Although pier contacts are relatively uncommon, similar incidents have involved cruise ships in ports around the world. Factors including wind, currents, swell and other local conditions can affect manoeuvring during arrivals and departures, although there has been no confirmed indication that any of those factors contributed to the Carnival Breeze incident.
In September 2025, Miray Cruises’ MV Gemini contacted a pier while docking in Piraeus, Greece, resulting in damage to the vessel.
Another Carnival Dream-class ship, Carnival Magic, struck a pier in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, during bad weather on 6th February 2024.
Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas also made contact with a dock in Falmouth, Jamaica, on 26th May 2022, in an incident subsequently attributed to pilot error.
Other previous cases include Norwegian Escape striking a pier in Civitavecchia, Italy, in December 2020, Carnival Horizon making contact with Pier 90 in Manhattan in August 2018 and Disney Dream hitting a pier in Nassau, Bahamas, in September 2017.
Following a pier contact, a vessel can be inspected to establish whether there has been any structural damage and whether it remains safe to operate. Carnival Breeze was able to depart Cozumel on schedule following Monday’s incident.
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