A cruise ship ran aground on a Fiji reef. What happened?
Blue Lagoon Cruises’ MV. Fiji Princess small ship was grounded on a reef during the “early hours” of April 4 in the northern Mamanuca Islands, according to the cruise operator. The ship was at anchor at the time.
“Whilst it is very early in the investigation, conditions upon the ship anchoring in the area were calm, and it appears a severe squall caused the ship’s anchor to drag towards a reef whereby it became grounded,” Blue Lagoon Cruises told USA TODAY in an emailed statement.
There were 30 guests on board.
Guests and non-essential crew disembarked the vessel via a ferry, the cruise company added. “All guests returned to Port Denarau and were accommodated by Blue Lagoon Cruises at Denarau hotels, with alternative experiences and activities arranged,” the statement continued.
This photo taken on December 10, 2020 and released by Reef Explorer Fiji shows an aerial view of the Fiji's Coral Coast.
There were no injuries to passengers or employees. The company is working to recover the ship, and has activated a crisis management plan and enlisted an Australian marine recovery and salvage expert.
“The immediate priority for all involved is to reduce and/or eliminate any environmental risk and to finalize a plan to recover the ship, noting that the current weather forecast is not in our favour,” Blue Lagoon Cruises said.
A fuel transfer operation was completed on April 6, removing roughly 23,000 liters of fuel from the vessel to minimize the risk of pollution, according to the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF).
“The crew of the Fiji Princess were also safely transferred onto the sister vessel Cougar and departed the area bound for Port Denarau,” MSAF said in an emailed statement. “Further work to recover the vessel will begin once weather and sea conditions improve and it is safe to proceed.”
This story was updated to add new information.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].
