More than 2,000 cruise ship passengers will spend ANOTHER night at sea as the Coral Princess is stuck amid wild weather and massive swells
Cruise ship Coral Princess with 2000 passengers on board unable to dock
Must dock in Brisbane at 7pm Friday but stays off shore almost 2 days later
Footage shows the ship being startled by 6.5m waves and water spouting from the pool
Hopes the weary passengers and crew can dock sometime on Sunday
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Thousands of weary cruise ship passengers on the Coral Princess have to spend another night stranded at sea because it is too dangerous to dock.
The ship was scheduled to dock in Brisbane at 7 a.m. Friday, but the more than 2,000 seasick and Covid-affected passengers remain off the coast of Caloundra.
Dangerous conditions, with swells of up to six meters, prevented the cruise ship from entering Moreton Bay.
Thousands of weary cruise ship passengers have to spend another night at sea off the coast of Australia as it is too dangerous to dock
The Coral Princess and its more than 2,000 seasick and Covid-affected passengers remain off the coast of Caloundra and unable to enter Brisbane harbor due to pounding seas
It is also believed that another 20 ships will not be able to enter the harbor, most afloat or afloat.
Passengers on the Coral Princess were booked for a seven-day cruise along the Queensland and NSW coast, visiting Airlie Beach, Cairns and Port Douglas, but had to spend two extra nights on board due to wild weather.
The ocean liner was scheduled to dock on Friday morning, but rough seas delayed arrival because a pilot was unable to board.
Passengers have continued to share videos on social media of the wild seas and its effects on board, including the swaying of the deck and the dramatic spraying of the pool water
It has been forced to drive in slow circles for the better part of two days as exhausted passengers and crew wait for conditions to improve.
“A pilot is essential to navigate the waters from the bay to the harbor and conditions are just too rough for us to get one on board,” a spokesman for the Port of Brisbane told the BBC. courier post.
The port will remain closed to shipping and pilotage services, a statement from Princess Cruises said.
Passengers have continued to share videos on social media of the wild seas and its effects on board, including the swinging of the deck and the dramatic spraying of the pool water.
‘Last sunset on board,’ one passenger captioned photos he shared on social media Saturday night, adding: ‘Outside decks still closed!’
The photos showed the upper deck still soaked over a turbulent sea.
But conditions appeared to have improved, with clearing skies compared to earlier in the day.
Passengers on the Coral Princess were booked for a seven-day cruise along the coast of Queensland and NSW and had to stay at sea for two days longer than expected
Photos taken on board the ship on Saturday night show that the seas are still rough, but conditions are improving
On Saturday morning, video footage on board showed an angrier sea, with white hoods and high winds still pounding the beleaguered liner.
Conditions are predicted to abate overnight, allowing the liner and all other vessels to enter port, although strong wind warnings remain in effect.
Fraser Island Coast, Sunshine Coast waters and Gold Coast waters are all subject to strong wind warnings for Sunday.
The cruise ship had 120 Covid-infected passengers on board when it docked in Sydney two weeks ago.
The ship is a sister ship to the Ruby Princess that was linked with 28 deaths after a massive onboard outbreak in 2020 that shut down the Australian cruise industry for two years.