Coast Guard authorizes PortMiami to reopen to marine traffic after vessel collision

The U.S. Coast Guard has given PortMiami approval to reopen to marine traffic after it was shut down Sunday, following a collision between two vessels that killed one person.

The Coast Guard received a call that a yacht had collided with a ferry vessel Pelican II around 4 to 5 a.m., according to spokesperson Ryan Estrada. By the time Coast Guard personnel arrived, the City of Miami Department of Fire-Rescue had rescued one person and recovered one body, he said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was investigating and working to remove the yacht, which sank, Estrada said. “The Pelican II reported no damage, and we set up a security perimeter around Government Cut, essentially closing down the Port of Miami,” he said.

The Coast Guard authorized the port to reopen to all vessel traffic by around 2:30 p.m. "Crews have successfully recovered the sunken vessel & removed the obstruction in the North channel," the Coast Guard tweeted.

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The closure impacted cruise passengers on board Carnival Cruise Line’s Celebration ship, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape, and MSC Seascape, PortMiami said on Twitter. “For more information, Carnival passengers can sign up for text alerts by texting CCL3 to CRUISE (278473); MSC (833) 578-6488 and NCL (866) 234-7350),” the port said.

Carnival spokesperson Matt Lupoli said the incident would impact guests’ debarkation and “the embarkation of the next voyages.”

“We have been in direct contact with our guests and will continue to provide them updates as we learn more information from port officials,” he said in an emailed statement. Norwegian and MSC did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Port of Miami authorized to reopen after vessel collision