BLUE Lagoon Cruises' 55-metre vessel Fiji Princess ran aground on a reef near Monuriki Island on Saturday [4 April], according to reports from the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC).
FBC said the catamaran cruise ship was on a seven-day cruise when it grounded with 30 passengers and 30 crew on board. All passengers and most crew were safely evacuated by boat to Port Denaru in the Nadi area on Fiji’s main island Viti Levu. Some crew remain on the vessel.
Monuriki Island is commonly know as Cast Away Island, as the location of the Tom Hanks film of the same name.
The 68-pax Fiji Princess was reportedly at anchor in calm conditions when hit by a sudden squall that caused it to drag anchor, the cruise company said.
Guests and non-essential crew disembarked the vessel via a ferry: “All guests returned to Port Denarau and were accommodated by Blue Lagoon Cruises at Denarau hotels, with alternative experiences and activities arranged,” the company said in a statement.
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, it said.
“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.
The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji is expected to investigate the grounding.