Cruise ship destroys pier and sinks boats with its wake

A cruise ship in Italy has left devastation in its wake after destroying a pier and sinking small vessels as it pulled away from shore.

The Carnival Vista was just metres from its berth in Messina, Sicily on Sunday when the prop wash from its thrusters caused a wild set of waves to topple a boat pier, The Maritime Executive reports.

As the water starts to foam behind the cruise liner’s newest ship, a thick wake surges towards the shore instantly smashing through the concrete pier and tumbling docked boats to the ocean floor.

The strength of the wave also caused the pier to split from its mainland structure.

Port authorities have opened an investigation into the matter, Italian media reported.

The Carnival Vista is the cruise liner’s newest ship and is the only ship in the company’s fleet to have a water park, a cycling track that suspends riders in the air and a fully operational IMAX movie theatre.