Part of the orange canopy remains torn and still attached to the ship.
Carnival Cruise Line confirmed the cause in a statement.
“The team on Carnival Dream was conducting an unmanned test of lowering one of the lifeboats when a latch got caught on one of the cables, resulting in the vessel hanging from one end then falling into the water below. No one was injured.”
Major Structural Damage
Images show the lifeboat’s hull heavily compromised, including what appears to be a large vertical crack along the stern.
Nearby lifeboats – Numbers 1 and 5 – do not appear to be damaged, and there is no visible impact on Carnival Dream’s hull.
Routine lifeboat tests are common while a ship is safely alongside. These checks include lowering and raising boats, testing davits, and practising emergency procedures without passengers present.
Will Carnival Dream Be Allowed to Sail?
The incident raises an important operational question: can Carnival Dream legally leave port with one lifeboat out of service?
Cruise ships are required to carry enough functioning lifeboats and life rafts for everyone onboard, including guests and crew. While vessels typically carry more capacity than required, each ship must still meet strict international safety standards.
It is not yet known whether Carnival Dream’s remaining lifeboat capacity meets that threshold, or whether additional inspections will be needed before departure.
With the damaged craft clearly unusable for rescues or evacuation, further checks on neighbouring lifeboats are likely.
Carnival Dream is currently docked in Cozumel alongside several other vessels, including Regal Princess, MSC Seashore, Icon of the Seas, Carnival Breeze, Celebrity Eclipse, and Seven Seas Splendor.
Not the First Lifeboat Mishap
While unusual, lifeboat accidents do happen.
In December 2022, a lifeboat fell from Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas during tendering operations in the South Pacific.
No one was injured and the ship’s itinerary continued, albeit with slower tender operations for the day.
Lifeboats serve multiple functions beyond emergency evacuation:
- tendering guests ashore in ports without piers
- assisting in man-overboard searches
- rescuing refugees or persons in distress at sea
Because of this, any damage to a lifeboat is taken extremely seriously by both cruise lines and maritime safety authorities.
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
See the latest Carnival cruise offers…
Related Posts
If you found this interesting, please share!
Norwegian Cruise Line has revealed the full entertainment programme for Norwegian Luna, confirming a major Elton John celebration, a futuristic acrobatic production, and a wide range of new shows designed…
Carnival Corporation is dealing with propulsion issues on two major ships across its fleet, with Carnival Horizon and Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 both forced to adjust itineraries, delay operations and…
One of the Caribbean’s most famous floating food spots is making a splash in a new location, just in time for peak cruise season. Lime Out, the award-winning floating taco…
A cruise passenger received an unscheduled swim on Sunday, 16th November 2025, after slipping from the pier beside Norwegian Encore during the ship’s unexpected call to Nassau. Norwegian Encore had…
