Royal Caribbean cruise ship rocked by rough weather, images show damage

Bad weather rocked a Royal Caribbean Crusies ship near Spain on Thursday night, causing damage aboard the vessel and requiring the ship to make an unexpected stop to allow a guest to medically disembark. 

The Explorer of the Seas was traveling from Barcelona, Spain to Miami, Florida, according to CruiseMapper, a website that shows the position and routes of cruise ships. 

The vessel was near Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, when it was hit by an “unexpected wind gust,” Royal Caribbean Cruises said in a statement. 

The wind caused the ship to experience “sudden movement,” the cruise line said. 

One person aboard the ship described the movement to CBS News as a “listing,” which means the vessel is tilted to one side. Photos show items knocked down, shattered bottles in a bar area, and other mild damage from the incident. 

The cruise line said one passenger was injured and “requires additional medical care.” The ship is making a stop in Las Palmas, Spain, for a medical disembarkation. The cruise line did not offer any additional information about the unidentified passenger’s condition. 

The Explorer of the Seas is a 1,020-foot vessel that can hold up to 4,290 guests and 1,185 crew members, according to an Royal Caribbiean Cruises fact sheet. It includes an ice skating rink, a mini-golf course and a rock climbing wall on its fifteen passenger decks. It is registered in the Bahamas and has been sailing since 2000. 

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