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Ambassadors
International Inc.'s Empress of the North cruise ship ran aground
off the coast of Alaska, forcing passengers and crew members to
abandon the vessel shortly after midnight.
Forty crew members and 208 guests have been transferred to private
vessels or the Alaska state ferry Columbia, according to U.S. Coast
Guard Lieutenant Dave Oney. Thirty-three crew members remain
onboard. No injuries have been reported.
The ship ran aground and began taking on water about 50 miles (80
kilometers) from Juneau in 3-foot (1-meter) seas, 15- knot
(28-kilometer-an-hour) southerly winds and light rain, Oney said.
The 360-foot boat is now en route to Juneau on its own power.
The ship was listing at 8 degrees. The flooding was controlled by
its double-hull structure, Oney said. There was no indication that
fuel was leaking, Oney said.
Passengers walked from the Empress of the North to other ships as
they pulled up alongside, Ambassadors' Majestic America division
said today. The rescued passengers are headed to Juneau, where the
company will arrange lodging and transportation home. Empress of the
North was on the second day of a seven-day cruise.
The boat also ran aground in March 2006 in the Columbia River, 20
miles east of Portland, Oregon, said Majestic spokeswoman Ann Marie
Ricard.
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