Baltic Sea Storm Forces Norwegian Sun to Remain in Warnemünde and Cancel Kiel Call

Von Pjotr Mahhonin - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
A severe autumn gale system over the western Baltic Sea disrupted the itinerary of the Norwegian Sun: The vessel, operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), was unable to depart Warnemünde on Sunday evening due to adverse weather conditions. Northwest gusts reaching gale force 9 on the Beaufort scale made navigating the narrow Warnemünde sea canal hydrodynamically hazardous. With gusts peaking at up to 80 km/h, the vessel's thrusters and rudder authority were insufficient to safely counter heavy lateral drift toward seawalls and breakwaters. Prioritizing safety, the bridge team kept the ship securely moored at Pier P8.

All news also on X

This enforced stay caused an immediate schedule adjustment: The subsequent port call at Kiel's Ostseekai, planned for Monday, was cancelled without replacement. To preserve the overall itinerary and ensure an on-time guest turnaround at the homeport of Copenhagen, ship management, in coordination with maritime operations in Miami, opted to bypass Schleswig-Holstein's capital entirely. Instead, the vessel remained moored in Warnemünde until the weather subsided on Monday evening before setting a direct course for Denmark.

For the Port of Kiel, the cancellation relieved dockside capacity: Rather than hosting a triple arrival alongside Mein Schiff 7 and AIDAbella, the day proceeded as a standard double call. Because Kiel was scheduled strictly as a transit port without guest embarkation or disembarkation, terminal logistics remained unaffected. Mooring operations in Warnemünde also ran smoothly despite the extended 36-hour berth occupancy, as no additional cruise vessels were scheduled for that day.

For the approximately 2,000 guests onboard, the storm turned an excursion day in Kiel into an extended two-day stay on the Mecklenburg coast. All shore excursions booked for Kiel were fully refunded, and unused port fees were credited to onboard accounts. Under travel regulations, severe weather is classified as extraordinary circumstances beyond control, precluding general compensation claims, though standard statutory fare reduction rules may apply. Following the scheduled passenger turnaround in Copenhagen, the Norwegian Sun will return to Warnemünde just days later as part of its next Baltic rotation.