A Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. cruise ship hit a pier at a Mexican port, putting a 42-foot (13-meter) gash in its hull, but not injuring any passengers or crew members, the company said on Thursday. The accident happened on Wednesday as the Grandeur of the Seas was docking in Costa Maya in the southern part of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Winds of 17 mph (27 kph) and a stiff current contributed to the incident, the company said. Royal Caribbean, the world's No. 2 cruise group, said it expects to complete later on Thursday a full evaluation of the repairs the ship needs and the time it will take to complete them. "The ship has a football-shaped puncture in the bow on its starboard side that is approximately 42 feet (13 meters) long and 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide at its widest point," the company said in a written statement. "The puncture is in the first deck approximately 5 feet (1.5 meters) above the waterline." Grandeur of the Seas left New Orleans on Saturday carrying 2,030 passengers and 740 crew members. The Miami-based company said it was making plans to return passengers to New Orleans if the ship were unable to return to the city this weekend. ---SP 0057 Local Time 2157 GMT
