High winds strand 2 cruise ships in Elliott Bay

SEATTLE — A large cruise ship was stranded in Elliott Bay for hours due to high winds, according to the United States Coast Guard (USCG).

AsRoyal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas came in to make its approach, strong winds forced the vessel to wait until available tugboats could help, according to Puget Sound Pilots (PSP).

The vessel was waiting for an extra tug, said Petty Officer Steven Strohmeyer with the USCG District 13 Public Affairs Office.

Before helping to bring in the cruise ship, PSP President Ivan Carlson said tugboats first had to move a fish processor farther south.

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Carlson said tugboats had moved the other vessel, freeing up the small boats to move the Quantum of the Seas. KOMO News' tower camera showed what appeared to be tugboats near the cruise ship at 11:30 a.m.

The cruise ship finally appeared to dock successfully by 1:30 p.m.

"Due to high winds, Quantum of the Seas is delayed in returning to port," a spokesperson with Royal Caribbean told KOMO News. "We're closely monitoring the weather and are communicating updates directly to our guests."

Royal Caribbean also said the ship was waiting for better weather to berth out of an abundance of caution.

Peter McGraw with the Port of Seattle said access had not yet been granted to the terminal because the situation was still developing.

Abdul Ali, a driver waiting in the cell phone lot to pick up passengers from Quantum of the Sea, called the situation frustrating.

“Yes, we've been waiting almost four hours, five hours so far, and everything is kind of backed up right now. A lot of people are missing their flights,” Ali said. “They were saying there's a wind going on, and that's why they could not make it to the dock."

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a wind advisory that is in effect until 11 a.m. Tuesday for portions of western Washington, including Elliott Bay. The NWS said the region could see gusts up to 40 mph.

Strohmeyer told KOMO News two tugboats usually bring in cruise ships, with one at the bow of the ship and one at the stern. But large container ships, Strohmeyer said, sometimes require three tugboats to dock.

The Quantum of the Seas vessel holds more than 4,900 passengersand is typically used to take passengers on week-long trips between Seattle and Alaska, according to the company's website.

The ship is more than 1,100 feet long and almost 150 feet wide, according to VesselFinder.

Another passenger ship, the MS Roald Amundsen, also appears to be stranded in Elliott Bay. The vessel, owned by Hurtigruten Expeditions, is nearly 460 feet long and holds more than 1,000 passengers.

VesselFinder reported the Quantum of the Seas arrived in Elliott Bay a little after 5 a.m. Monday.

"The mission of the Pilots is to ensure against the loss of lives, loss of or damage to property and vessels, and to protect the marine environment by maintaining efficient and competent pilotage service on our State’s inland waters within the Puget Sound Pilotage District," according to the PSP website.

The Quantum of the Seas won Best New Cruise Ship in the 2015 Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards.