A picture posted to Twitter of the cruise ship Triumph at the dock in Mobile, Alabama. Picture: #mle724 Source: Supplied
UPDATE: US Coast Guard officials are searching for a missing shipyard worker after a disabled Carnival Cruise ship broke free from its mooring in Mobile, Alabama.
One person is missing and two have been rescued from the water after the Carnival cruise vessel Triumph broke loose, pulling a guard shack into the river with it.
Petty Officer Second Class Bill Colclough says a crew is searching the Mobile River for the man. Colclough was unsure of where the worker was when the ship became dislodged.
Reports and photos from the scene show the ship also has been holed near the stern.
CarnivalTriumph Cruise ship damage after breaking away from dock. Picture: John Sharp / Twitter Source: No Source
The US Coast Guard tweeted that high winds are likely to blame for the Triumph becoming dislodged.
The National Weather Service reported winds up to more than 100km/h blowing through the area.
Witness Jim Smith told Local 15 News that rough winds had been blowing in Mobile all morning.
"We had a spell over very bad weather downtown. It was blowing so hard that the office building I am in was moving and the windows were flexing," Mr Smith said.
"The Triumph was in dock and started to move. It moved slowly across the river. There was apparently no power, one of my colleagues noticed there was no smoke coming out of the stack.
"The wind was incredibly hard, the ship got sideways to the wind. There was a tug that was attempting to get it moved but it eventually blew across the river, trapped the tug between the Triumph and another ship that was docked there. It's on the opposite side of the river from where it was docked. It looks to be hard up against the shore line and a ship that was docked there."
An eyewitness photo of the CarnivalTriumph breaking loose and floating in the Mobile Bay. Picture: John Sharp, City Hall reporter in Mobile, Alabama / Facebook Source: No Source
Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen says the ship drifted and is resting against a cargo vessel.The Triumph was disabled February 10 by an engine fire that stranded thousands of passengers onboard for days in the Gulf.
Triumph has been in Mobile for almost two months. It was towed there after an engine-room fire knocked out power, leaving passengers without toilets or lift access.
The Carnival Triumph was expected to leave the dry-dock in mid June. This incident will delay that departure date, potentially cancelling the holiday plans of hundreds if not thousands of people.
Carnival released this statement about the incident today:
"Due to strong winds in Mobile, Alabama, Carnival Triumph, which was docked at a Mobile shipyard, broke away from its moorings. The ship drifted and is currently resting against a cargo vessel. Tug boats and the U.S. Coast Guard are on site."
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