Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady had a rather more eventful evening in Rhodes than anyone onboard was probably expecting after rough conditions caused several of the cruise ship's mooring lines to break.
The 110,000-gross-ton ship moved away from its berth and across part of the harbour, where local reports say it came into contact with a catamaran and two smaller vessels.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, Scarlet Lady's gangway fell into the water.
Fortunately, no injuries or marine pollution were reported, and the ship's captain was able to manoeuvre Scarlet Lady back to its berth under its own power.
Scarlet Lady gangway falls in Greece https://t.co/KDeC9tktIv
— Crew Center (@CrewCenter) October 2, 2026
What happened to Scarlet Lady in Rhodes?
The incident occurred shortly after 8:15pm on Wednesday, 30 September at the main port of Rhodes in Greece.
According to Greek public broadcaster ERT, strong waves caused several of the lines securing Scarlet Lady to the dock to break.
The ship then moved away from its berth and towards the edge of the harbour, where local reports say it came into contact with a catamaran and two smaller boats.
Greek authorities have specifically identified the passenger-tourist vessel King of Rhodes as one of the vessels involved.
The Rhodes Central Port Authority responded to the incident and tugboats were placed on standby.
They ultimately weren't required to return Scarlet Lady to the dock. The captain manoeuvred the ship back into position under its own power.
Scarlet Lady's gangway ended up in the water
Video subsequently published from the incident shows another fairly dramatic moment.
As Scarlet Lady moved away from the pier, its gangway dropped into the water.
Footage published by Crew Center shows the gangway falling as the distance between the ship and the dock increases.
Despite how dramatic the incident looked, no injuries were reported.
Both vessels were temporarily stopped from leaving
Scarlet Lady wasn't immediately cleared to continue its cruise once it returned to the dock.
Following the contact between Scarlet Lady and King of Rhodes, the Rhodes Port Authority temporarily prohibited both vessels from departing while the required seaworthiness checks were completed.
Authorities reported no injuries or marine pollution following the incident.
Local reports also indicated there was no water ingress or significant damage identified during the initial response.
Both vessels were subsequently able to continue sailing.
Bad weather had already changed Scarlet Lady's cruise
The timing of the incident came after weather had already disrupted Scarlet Lady's itinerary.
The seven-night cruise departed Piraeus on 27 September and was originally scheduled to visit Rhodes between 9am and 6pm on 30 September, followed by an overnight visit to Mykonos.
High winds affected the itinerary, however, with the planned Mykonos call unable to proceed as originally scheduled.
Scarlet Lady consequently remained in Rhodes beyond its original 6pm departure time.
That meant the ship was still alongside when conditions in the harbour deteriorated later that evening.
A replacement visit to Chania in Crete was subsequently added to the itinerary.
Scarlet Lady continued its cruise
After the required checks were completed, the Rhodes incident doesn't appear to have caused any significant further disruption to Scarlet Lady's voyage.
The ship departed Rhodes and continued its revised Greek Isles itinerary.
The incident could certainly have been considerably more serious. A large cruise ship moving unexpectedly away from a dock presents risks both to the vessel itself and to smaller craft nearby.
In this case, the captain was able to regain control and return Scarlet Lady to its berth without requiring the waiting tugboats.
No injuries were reported, there was no reported marine pollution and the cruise was able to continue.
Although passengers may have missed out on their planned Mykonos visit, they did at least get some unexpected entertainment in Rhodes.
Watching your cruise ship's gangway disappear into the harbour probably wasn't on the itinerary.
