Key Aspects:
- An oil spill occurred in the Galveston Cruise Port after an unnamed vessel collided with Pier 32.
- The spill is secured, but the clean up process and investigation is still in progress.
- The Galveston Ship Channel has been closed to mitigate the impacts of the spill, which is creating challenges for cruise operations.
Things have been hectic in the Galveston Cruise Port, where an oil spill has sent cruise operations into disarray.
The spill occurred on the night of October 28, 2025, after an unspecified vessel belonging to Forestwave Navigation BV accidentally struck Pier 32 and began to discharge oil.
The US Coast Guard (Sector Houston-Galveston) received a call at approximately 9:50 p.m. local time.
Coast Guard personnel have been working side-by-side with the Texas General Land Office and the responsible company to contain and clean the spill through the night and into the following day.
“The Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office and the responsible party, Forestwave Navigation BV, are working together to respond to the spill and have personnel and assets on scene,” the US Coast Guard said in a press release.
The Galveston Ship Channel, which was initially closed to reduce the impact of the spill, has not yet reopened as of the time of publication.
“The Galveston Ship Channel is closed from Gulf Copper to Pelican Island Bridge to reduce the impact of the spill,” the US Coast Guard confirmed.
As of the evening of Wednesday, October 29, the source of the spill has been secured, but the amount of oil that was released has not yet been confirmed.
The channel will likely remain closed until officials are further along in their clean-up and investigation.
Cleaning operations and assessments of air and safety conditions are also still underway.
Thankfully, there have been no reports of negative impacts to local wildlife thus far.
Which Cruise Ships are Impacted?
As the Galveston Ship Channel is the main deep-water entrance to the busy port, the closure has unsurprisingly already had a significant impact on cruise operations.
Regal Princess
Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess, which was the only ship to visit the Texas-based port on October 29, has been the most impacted vessel thus far.
It was supposed to be embarkation day for a 4-night sailing to Cozumel, Mexico, where the 142,229-gross ton vessel is expected to call on Halloween.
“Cruise out of Galveston keeps getting postponed to [embark]. This is my first cruise, is there any effort to be made to try and get some kind of compensation out of this,” a current passenger shared.
“I have no idea how we will make up the time because we were already delayed on getting onto the ship since it’s the first time back in the US,” they continued.
The guest is referring to the fact that Regal Princess had just completed a transatlantic crossing from Southampton, UK.
Cruise tracking data confirms that the 3,560-guest ship remains docked in Galveston as of 8:45 p.m. local time, when she was supposed to depart at 3 p.m.
It’s unclear when she will finally set sail and if the visit to Cozumel will be impacted.
Carnival Breeze
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Breeze, which is due in Galveston on October 30 to begin her own 4-night sailing to Cozumel, has also changed her disembarkation and embarkation plans to account for the spill.
Carnival Breeze usually docks at Cruise Terminal 25 or Cruise Terminal 28, but the Dream-class ship will head to Pier 10 instead.
More From Cruise Hive
“Due to an oil spill in the Galveston Harbor, Carnival Breeze embarkation and debarkation have been moved to Pier 10,” reads an update from Discount Cruise Parking, a local parking company.
“Shuttles and staff will be on-site to ensure a smooth and stress-free transition to and from Pier 10.”
More Carnival ships like Carnival Dream and Carnival Jubilee and Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas are also due in Galveston in the coming days, and could potentially be impacted.
