NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A barge carrying rice struck a cruise ship Saturday in the Mississippi River below New Orleans.
Carnival Cruise Lines said the Fantasy suffered a 30-foot "dent" to its side above the water line, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported, while the Coast Guard described the damage as a "gash."
The cruise line said the start of its next cruise, a five-day trip to Mexico, might be delayed with passengers compensated for lost time at sea.
After the collision, the Fantasy continued upriver to the Erato Street Terminal in New Orleans. Passengers disembarked there, and in the afternoon, passengers for the next trip were allowed to board.
"We didn't want to leave people sitting on the piers," said Tim Gallagher, Carnival's vice president for public relations.
The Coast Guard said there were no injuries reported on the ship or the barge, which suffered some minor damage. The barge was one of a string of six being pushed by a tugboat.
