Two sunken vessels and three cruiser vessels traversing waters

In an unexpected turn of events, the historic cruise ship Nordstjernen, capable of accommodating up to 150 passengers, ran aground at Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Baltic Sea coast in Rostock-Warnemünde on Tuesday evening.

The vessel, which is a monument, had switched to the Rostock harbor overnight due to a special event in Warnemünde. However, a technical malfunction prevented the ship from moving forward, resulting in a collision with a bank on the opposite side.

Following the incident, a diver inspected the ship's hull and found no structural damage, only some scratches in the paint. The ship was taken to the Rostock harbor for further checks after the initial inspection.

The shipping company confirmed that the cause of the incident was a "small technical problem." A ban on sailing was imposed on the Nordstjernen, which is the usual procedure in such cases.

Meanwhile, the cruise of the AIDAmar's guests ended, and new passengers were to board from noon. The AIDAmar, along with two other large cruise ships, Viking Sky and Rotterdam, had arrived in Rostock. All three ships were expected to set sail again in the evening, heading for Stockholm, Rønne, and Tallinn, respectively.

The passengers of Viking Sky and Rotterdam embarked on day trips, while the Nordstjernen returned to its mooring under its own power after the incident.

It's worth noting that this is not the first triple call this season in Warnemünde. Last season, the port counted 148 ship calls with over half a million passengers. The grand finale for the 2025 season will be the visit of the Amadea of the Phoenix Reisen shipping company on December 18.

In a separate incident, a criminal investigation has been initiated against the captain of a departing passenger ship in Sellin. The captain's name is not specified, and the ship is referred to as the passenger ship in the harbor of Sellin.

Despite the incident, the cruise industry in Rostock-Warnemünde continues to thrive, with a total of 167 calls by 36 cruise ships from 23 shipping companies registered for the 2025 cruise season.