Newspapers in Italy are reporting that a collision took place in the port of Bari (Puglia) in the southest of Italy when a Superfast ferry struck the Mein Schiff 2 cruise ship.
Corriere del Mezzogiorne and La Reppublica (Bari) report that high winds up to 40 knows caused the ferry to break her mooring lines and drift into the Mein Schiff 2 cruise ship operated by the German cruise Line TUI Cruises. The bulbous bow of the ferry then penetrated the starboard side of the cruise ship.
There were no reported injuries of the passengers or the crew of the two vessels.
Inspections were conducted regarding the extent of the damage to determine whether the cruise ship will resume immediate operations.
Another ferry, the Ionis, also slipped its moorings, but the crew deployed the anchor to avoid collision with other vessels.
September 17 2013 Update: Passengers sent us some photos of the damage to the cruise ship which you can see on out Facebook page here.
Photo Credits: The Republic (top) and Corriere del Mezzogiorno (V. Archers) (bottom)