Gale-Force Winds Strand Cruise Ship Off New York City

A cruise ship was forced to float for several hours off New York City on Monday night after strong winds prevented it from docking.

Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed that Norwegian Gem was temporarily stranded and issued an apology to affected passengers.

“Due to strong gale-force winds on the Hudson River, Norwegian Gem’s scheduled arrival into New York City has been delayed until February 26,” the cruise line said in a statement. “Disembarkation is expected to begin at 6:30 a.m. ET on February 26.”

“As such, the itinerary originally scheduled for departure on February 25, has been amended to a 10-day Southern Caribbean cruise. Check-in will begin on Tuesday, February 26 at 9:30 a.m. ET. At this time, there are no further changes to the schedule. We apologize for any inconvenience this unforeseen change has caused.”

The final ship of Norwegian’s Jewel Class, Norwegian Gem has the capacity to carry more than 2,300 passengers and over a 1,000 crew members.

The ship also made headlines in November 2017 when a technical malfunction with its Azipod propulsion system resulted in the ship’s speed being restricted from full capacity, forcing the cruise line to change the ship’s itinerary and fly passengers to New York from Barbados.