Why is docking a cruise ship in a busy port so challenging? [closed]

While watching a cruise ship on the port, I then saw some smaller ships around the big ship and guessed they were helping the cruise to dock properly but i was not sure. This got me interested in how a large cruise ships enters and docks to a port. My question is what are the challenges faced by the big cruise ship to enter a busy port and then handle its huge weight and momentum to avoid any accident? Were the smaller ships I saw really helping the big ship but how can they? I mean they are so small like mouse in front of dinosaur. What was the purpose of using small ships and why can cruise not handle on its own?

Best Answer

Realistically, docking a cruise ship is not particularly challenging. It requires a lot of coordination with crews on the ship and on the pier, but it is otherwise a routine operation. A typical cruise ship will make port 3-5 times per week.

Since you were watching a cruise ship at PortMiami, it is very unlikely the other vessels were 'assisting' the ship into it's berth. No cruise ship that calls at PortMiami requires tugs. They all have sufficient maneuvering capabilities, bow/stern thrusters and/or azipods which make tugs unnecessary unless there has been a mechanical failure.

What you will see are fuel barges and their attendant tugs, US Customs and Border Protection and/or US Coast Guard, "Harbor Patrol" which is shared by several agencies, small commercial vessels (recreational vessels are not allowed in the Main Channel when cruise ships are in port), the Fisher Island Ferry, and specialty service vessels.