Lifeboat Snaps Off Cruise Ship and Plummets into Harbor in Scary Incident

A lifeboat unexpectedly broke off a Carnival Cruise Line ship while it was docked in Mexico, the company confirmed Wednesday.

The incident happened around 11:00 a.m. local time as the Carnival Dream was docked in Cozumel on November 19. Passengers on a nearby ship said they watched the small emergency craft snap apart and fall from the Dream’s starboard side. Fortunately, the ship was docked on the opposite side, so the lifeboat dropped straight into the water instead of onto the pier.

Jennifer Landers, a passenger aboard the Princess Regal, captured photos of the dramatic moment and shared them. The images show the lifeboat’s roof torn open, with the front half badly damaged while the back remained mostly intact. Another piece of the bow was still hanging from one of the Dream’s cables before crews retrieved it.

Carnival Cruise Line said the accident happened during an unmanned test. According to the company, a latch caught on one of the cables during the lowering process, causing the lifeboat to hang awkwardly from one end before dropping into the water. No injuries were reported.

Carnival notes that its lifeboats undergo routine testing to ensure everything is in working order, and the ship still has more than enough lifeboats and life jackets to meet safety requirements.

The mishap took place during Carnival Dream’s six-day Western Caribbean sailing, which departed Galveston, Texas, on November 15 and is scheduled to return November 21.

This isn’t the first time a cruise ship has had a lifeboat break loose. In December 2022, a lifeboat fell from Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas during a crew exercise, with video showing it crash onto the deck before dropping into the water. Crews later recovered that damaged vessel as well.