A man died and another was hospitalized in serious condition after a 30-foot boat hit the Fisher Island Ferry early Sunday morning, Miami Fire Rescue said.
The Coast Guard said there’s a “temporary security zone” that will limit traffic in and out of PortMiami while Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigates the crash. PortMiami said the channel is closed, which will change the arrival and unloading of passengers from the Carnival Celebration, Norwegian Cruise Line Escape and MSC Seascape ships.
Carnival Cruise Line sent text messages to passengers planning on a 4 p.m. departure to stay put.
“As a result of a boating incident, PortMiami is currently closed,” the morning message read. “Carnival Celebration will be delayed docking this morning. This will impact your embarkation. Please do not proceed to the port at this time.”
With an estimated 16,000 passengers on three shifts idling off PortMiami, the delays threaten a wave of missed flights at Miami International Airport. Spokesperson Greg Chin said the county-owned airport notified airlines of the situation at PortMiami, and that all rebooking fees are being waved for cruise passengers impacted by the situation.
Closing PortMiami on Sunday is disrupting travel plans for about 33,000 people, according to figures provided by Suzy Trutie, a spokesperson for the county-owned port. Each ship expected to unload between 5,000 and 6,000 passengers from a Caribbean cruise after docking on Sunday morning, and then welcome another batch of passengers for departures in the afternoon.
Fisher Island residents were alerted Sunday morning that the ferry would be out of service until the channel was reopened.
It remained closed as of 11:45 am with cars and trucks lined up on the Miami Beach side awaiting the next boat.
The crash happened around 3:40 a.m. east of the Pilot House Station at Dodge Island, the island of cruise ship passenger terminals that draws the attention of many crossing the MacArthur Causeway between Miami Beach and Miami.
Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez said the U.S. Coast Guard told Miami Fire Rescue Fireboat 15 that a 30-foot boat hit the ferry in the channel. One man was pulled out of the water by ferry workers, handed to the Coast Guard, then to Miami Fire Rescue for transport to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.
Though the man was in serious condition, Lt. Sanchez said, he was able to say that his friend was still missing. Miami Fire Rescue dive team, leading a multi-agency search, found the man who was already dead.
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