MSC’s 16,520-TEU containership MSC Victorine suffered a tear approximately 10 metres long in its hull after being struck by TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 3 at Bremerhaven, Germany, on the evening of 25 October 2026.

Bremen police subsequently confirmed that the cruise ship had collided with two berthed containerships while departing in stormy weather. Departure bans were imposed on all three vessels. No injuries or water ingress were reported, but Mein Schiff 3’s planned 20-day Canary Islands voyage was cancelled and the cruise ship requires shipyard repairs.

Wind gust pushes cruise ship towards berthed vessels

According to a police update issued on 26 October, the accident occurred at approximately 17:30 local time. Mein Schiff 3 was leaving Bremerhaven’s cruise terminal with tug assistance when a gust caught the vessel near the Stromkaje container quay, pushing it towards two moored containerships. The smaller containership sustained minor damage, while the larger vessel suffered substantial damage.

Eyewitness footage verified by German news agency dpa showed the cruise ship manoeuvring in rough conditions with tugs alongside. Its distance from a berthed containership continued to narrow before the collision, with debris and damaged lifeboats visible afterwards. German public broadcaster Tagesschau, citing Bremen’s ports department, reported a hull tear of around 10 metres on the containership.

Police said the larger containership’s port side had been torn open over several metres and its container guide structures deformed. The damage was several metres above the waterline. A full damage survey and detailed cargo-loss assessment for MSC Victorine had not been made public at the time of writing.

Mein Schiff 3 also sustained significant damage to lifeboats, their associated lifting equipment and its outer plating. The cruise ship returned to the Columbuskaje cruise terminal for inspection. The competent ship-safety authority imposed departure bans on the cruise ship and both containerships, while Bremen’s waterway police continued their investigation.

Canary Islands cruise cancelled

The approximately 293-metre Mein Schiff 3 was carrying 2,428 passengers and 922 crew members, a total of 3,350 people, when the accident occurred. TUI Cruises confirmed that no one had been injured. Passengers initially remained aboard after the vessel returned to its berth while specialists assessed the damage and the operator considered the next steps.

By the morning of 26 October, the voyage had been cancelled. RTL reported that the captain informed passengers through an onboard announcement that the cruise could not continue. Travel industry publication Touristik aktuell subsequently cited confirmation from TUI Cruises that the Canary Islands sailing had been cancelled and the vessel would require repairs in a shipyard.

Bremen public broadcaster buten un binnen reported that passengers were being allowed to disembark that morning, with shuttle buses arranged. The duration of repairs, the cruise ship’s return-to-service date and any impact on subsequent sailings had not been confirmed.

A 2023-built ship serving the Asia–North Europe trade

MSC Victorine is a Liberian-flagged containership with IMO number 9946867. Port of Hamburg records list the vessel at 16,520 TEU, approximately 366 metres in length and 51 metres in beam. It had been in service for less than three years when the collision occurred.

As previously reported by Xinde Marine, the vessel was named and delivered on 7 December 2023 by Guangzhou Shipyard International. It was the third ship in a 16,000-TEU containership project undertaken with China Shipbuilding Trading for MSC and ship lessor CSSC Shipping. Representatives of the shipyard, MSC, CSSC Shipping and China Shipbuilding Trading signed the delivery documents following the naming ceremony.

Port of Hamburg’s liner-service information lists MSC Victorine among the vessels deployed on the SWAN/FE-6 service linking Asia and North Europe. The service’s port rotation includes Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen and Yantian, alongside European ports including Hamburg and Bremerhaven. The collision’s consequences for the vessel’s subsequent port calls and cargo deliveries remained unclear at the time of writing.

MSC Victorine’s repair arrangements and return-to-service schedule had not been publicly confirmed. Although the police account identifies a wind gust as a factor in the collision, the full circumstances and allocation of responsibility remain subject to investigation.