A cruise ship company says their vessel came close to smashing against a yacht in the Venice lagoon amid stormy weather.

The ship Costa Deliziosa was leaving Venice port Sunday when it was caught in strong wind and hail, and tug boats struggled as they tried to pull it away from the yacht.

The incident came just weeks after a massive cruise ship crashed into small riverboat in Venice's busy Giudecca Canal, wounding five.

Costa Crociere, the company that owns the ship, said Sunday "violent and sudden" gusts of wind hit the ship as it was passing the Venice canal. It said the "port pilot and the three tugs to which the ship was tied promptly assisted it in the maneuver."

The ship has resumed its course to southern Italy.