The majestic cruise liner Queen Victoria literally marked its maiden call at Grand Harbour with a bang yesterday when it hit the quay at the Valletta Waterfront damaging its stern and the quay.
Its departure was delayed overnight with the ship expected to leave early this morning.
The 90,000-tonne vessel, the second largest ship in the Cunard line, was manoeuvring to berth at Pinto Wharf, right in front of the restored Valletta Waterfront, at 11 a.m. when it bumped into the quay.
Passengers on the 14-night Mediterranean Delights cruise told The Times there was a loud noise and the jolt was felt on several decks. The result was a dent about two to three metres wide. No one was injured in the incident.
The collision has been blamed on a malfunction in the vessel's throttle. Although the damage was at first described as superficial, it was highly visible above the waterline.
The damage was seen to later on site by Malta Shipyards employees. The 1,884 passengers and 1,024 crew members remained on board while repairs were being carried out.
Sources said shipyard employees placed a mixture of cement and rapid hardener on the damaged part of the ship in order to make sure no water seeps in until she arrives at Southampton on Tuesday, where the proper repairs will be done.
A spokesman for Cunard Ocean Liners told The Times that the liner had to cancel its trip to La Goulette in Tunisia, where it was due to arrive today. It will sail to the next planned destination, Gibraltar, instead, where it is expected to arrive on Saturday.
The cost of repairs to both the ship and the quay are still being evaluated as part of an investigation that is underway, the spokesman said.
Yesterday's was the first of six visits to Valletta by the liner this year. Before calling at Valletta, the ship was in Naples.
Chris Paris, general manager of Viset, the operators of the Valletta Waterfront, described the incident as "small", adding that the liner had only sustained "superficial" damage.
He said the ship developed a technical fault in its throttle and that the quay was damaged but could not say to what extent.
Mr Paris said that at the time, the vessel was being assisted by "one of the most experienced pilots" and that the incident was not due to negligence. He said the ship's captain is ultimately responsible for what happened.
The Malta Maritime Authority said that its Accident Investigations Directorate is looking into the incident and has asked for a pilot's and a master's report. The investigations are being carried out in collaboration with the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).
The incident featured on several international news websites throughout the day yesterday.
The $600 million vessel was inaugurated by Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, in Southampton at the end of last year.
The 294-metre vessel has had a fair share of bad luck in its first six months of service. First, the champagne bottle failed to break against the bow during her launch, which is considered by many as a bad omen.
Then, the liner was starting a 16-day Christmas cruise around the Canary Islands when around 80 passengers fell ill following an outbreak of the Norovirus bug which leads to vomiting and diarrhoea.
Late yesterday evening, one of its passengers was hospitalised after he felt severe chest pains.
mxuereb@timesofmalta.com