This is the horror moment a luxury cruise ship topples over a port after being hit by a violent storm. The Mingzhu Qihao, also known as Pearl No.7, which cost £22m to build, was hit by Typhoon Bavi and turned unstable on Tuesday night.
According to local authorities, the huge vessel measuring 158m-long and 30m-wide dramatically tilted over after being battered by the storm. A spokesman for Wenzhou Mingzhu Cruise Company said: “The idle pontoon ship ‘Mingzhu Qihao’, which was moored at the Ou River Road Yangfushan Puxi platform, tilted during a spring tide flood.
“We immediately activated the contingency plan and relevant departments quickly arrived to handle the situation. The exact cause is under further investigation.”
The hotel-style ship, which does not have a motor, was unoccupied when it toppled near the dock area.
Emergency services responded within minutes and implemented measures to stabilise the vessel, while an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the incident.
A staff member told local media that teams were on site managing the situation and confirmed that no casualties have been reported.
Deer District Emergency Management officials confirmed that the ship, built in 2012, was not operational and had no crew members or passengers on board at the time of the incident.
The vessel has remained largely unused for the past 14 years following a series of setbacks that derailed plans to transform it into a luxury five-star floating hotel featuring restaurants and high-end suites.
Previous efforts to relocate and moor the ship elsewhere were met with opposition from local residents concerned about obstructed views, while ongoing technical and financial challenges repeatedly postponed its planned launch.
The vessel’s dramatic tilt occurred while it remained idle at its current berth on the Ou River, drawing renewed attention to its troubled past and raising fresh questions about its future at the dock.
