Shocking footage has revealed the moment a massive cruise ship demolished a pier in a Jamaican port after powerful winds forced the vessel against the shore – before its captain left hundreds of guests stranded at the port.
The hulking cruise ship ‘Magic’, operated by Carnival Cruise Line, had come into dock at the Caribbean island’s Ocho Rios port when it was caught in a storm around 11am local time on Tuesday morning.
High speed winds whipped up the water and lashed against the side of the towering ship, blowing into a nearby pier.
The structure crumbled under the immense weight of the vessel, with clips shared by shocked holidaymakers showing how the concrete cracked and splintered under the stress as part of the pier collapsed inward.
Then, having damaged the Ocho Rios port, the Magic’s captain was forced to set sail to avoid causing further chaos, leaving thousands of passengers stranded ashore exposed to the elements for some 12 hours.
It comes just days after a pair of passengers on the previous cruise alleged they were drugged and raped when the ship docked at Freeport in Grand Bahama this past weekend.
The women claimed Carnival staff did not alert them that the US State Department issued travel warnings for the country at the end of January advising ‘extreme caution’ after a spate of daylight murders and sexual assaults.
The structure crumbled under the immense weight of the vessel, with clips shared by shocked holidaymakers showing how the concrete cracked and splintered under the stress as part of the pier collapsed inward
Clips showed how the massive ship damaged the pier, putting too much stress on the structure
The ship sustained minor damage but was fully operational, a spokesperson for Carnival said
Damage to the ship’s hull is seen following the contact with the pier
Passengers were left stranded at the port for 12 hours after the boat had to leave to avoid causing more damage
The Carnival Magic is seen docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica during day three of the ShipRocked cruise on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024
The Carnival Magic is seen docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica during day three of the ShipRocked cruise on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024
The Magic, which measures more than 1,000ft in length and can carry almost 3,100 passengers at full capacity, set sail from Miami earlier this week on a six-day cruise and came into the Ocho Rios port on Tuesday morning.
Most of its passengers disembarked following its arrival in the port and were on land when the storm began to push the vessel closer to the pier, which began to crumble as soon as the ship made contact.
Images taken by shocked passengers from the shore showed how the ship’s hull was dented and scratched, while the pier was heavily damaged.
But before the passengers could clamber back aboard, they were forced to brave 12 hours in Ocho Rios in the middle of the tempest as the ship left the harbour to avoid causing more damage.
Jamaica is currently subject to travel warnings amid a rise in violent crime.
‘We had a couple thousand people just out in a field in the pouring rain and no shelter, no food, no drinks. I think there was one toilet,’ passenger Adam Middleton told FOX35.
‘Everybody was running around, not sure what to do because they locked us out of the ship.
‘That was absolutely in our minds,’ said Middleton in reference to the travel advisory.
Carnival spokesperson Matt Lupoli told DailyMail.com: ‘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 8:10am and the incident occurred at 11am. There were no injuries, and all the ship’s services remained operational.
‘The ship left the area for the safety of everyone on board, later docked at another nearby pier and guests who went ashore rejoined the ship.’
Days earlier, two Kentucky women accused Carnival Cruises of failing to alert them to a State Department warning against visiting a resort in the Bahamas, where they claim they were drugged and raped.
Amber Shearer and Dongayla Dobson, both 31-year-old moms, say they were attacked on the last day of their four-day cruise after the ship docked at Freeport in Grand Bahama Sunday.
‘You need to be aware because our cruise line did not make us aware of a travel advisory,’ Shearer told NewsNation.
‘We had no idea what was going on in the Bahamas, none whatsoever.
‘I just want people to be safe. Dongayla and I, we’ve been together for two decades as best friends we thought we could protect each other and be safe and it’s not enough.’
The US State Department issued two travel warnings for the country at the end of January advising ‘extreme caution’ after a spate of daylight murders and sexual assaults.
Despite the warning, the boat still docked.
Amber Shearer and Dongayla Dobson have hit out at Carnival cruises for failing to notify them of a State Department warning about traveling to the Bahamas after they were allegedly drugged and raped during their trip
The US State Department issued two travel warnings for the country at the end of January advising ‘extreme caution’ after a spate of daylight murders and sexual assaults
‘One of the issues with Carnival specifically in this case is they have a legal duty to warn about dangerous conditions they should have known about,’ the women’s attorney, Nicholas Gerson, said.
‘There is a federal statues the Cruise Chip Vessel Safety and Security Act 2010 that requires victims of crime at high seas they are supposed to offer them contact with the FBI, none of that was offered.
‘Carnival actually markets this particular excursion on their website, they actually profit from the excursion. So Carnival should have warned our clients, the warning shouldn’t have come from the State Department.’
Security footage from the resort shows that within 15 minutes of receiving drinks at the Pirate’s Cove Resort, the pair were barely able to stand.
The women said that toxicology reports showed the cocktail of drugs in their system but no alcohol.
‘I remember waking up and getting pushed down,’ Dobson told DailyMail.com.
‘I woke up in the resort bathroom and there were people all around, and I just felt dirtiness on my legs, and I knew what had happened.
‘They told us we had been throwing up which is a good thing because the drugs would have killed us.’
A tearful Shearer also described how she ‘came to’ in the process of her rape and said the man she believes to be responsible hadn’t been working at the resort for a week, according to other workers.
‘We were just conscious enough to know they were in uniforms and to know the area we went to and the resort security was able to pull up footage then and there and identify that there were three guys.’
The women claim their ordeal only worsened when Bahamian police showed up, with them refusing to give them rape kits.
‘We were treated as criminals and refused rape kits after asking repeatedly,’ Shearer said.
The pair’s last memory was consuming drinks (pictured) on the beach before walking up in a bathroom at the resort with bruises on their legs
The women say their ordeal only worsened with the arrival of Bahamian police who they say minimized their attacks and refused to give them rape kits
Pirate’s Cove Zipline and Waterpark is Grand Bahama’s first adventure theme park
Police arrested a 54-year-old man from Eight Mile Rock and a 40-year-old from South Bahama after resort staff showed them security footage of the women being led away.
Police have not named the suspects but local reports suggest one is connected to a powerful figure on the islands who is leveraging his influence to secure his brother’s release.
DailyMail.com received an anonymous call insisting the investigation is at an early stage and urging against reporting claims of political involvement.
The company offered counselling but the friends were keen to get back to their families as soon as possible and flew back to Kentucky on Monday night.
Carnival spokesman Lupoli told DailyMail.com: ‘While ashore in Freeport, Bahamas on an independent shore excursion, two guests on Carnival Elation reported to Bahamian police that they were sexually assaulted at a local beach.
‘Our onboard Care Team provided support for the two guests as they sailed back to Jacksonville. Bahamian police are investigating the matter and Carnival is providing our full cooperation.’
