A tourism cruise ship carrying 30 passengers became stranded on a coral reef in Fiji waters over the weekend, prompting a safe evacuation of all aboard, according to the vessel’s operating company.
The incident involving the MV Fiji Princess occurred Saturday when the ship became grounded near Monuriki Island, which gained fame as the filming location for the Tom Hanks movie ‘Cast Away’ in 2000, Blue Lagoon Cruises announced Monday.
According to the company’s official statement, the 182-foot vessel was initially anchored in calm conditions when unexpected severe weather moved through the area. “Whilst the investigation is in its early stages, 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 nearby reef whereby the ship became grounded,” the statement said.
Rescue operations began at dawn Sunday when a ferry arrived to assist the stranded vessel. All 30 passengers successfully left the ship with their personal items and luggage intact, with no reported injuries during the evacuation process.
The evacuated travelers were transported to Denarau Island for safety.
Environmental protection measures were implemented quickly, with Blue Lagoon Cruises confirming that all removable fuel and oils had been extracted from the vessel by Monday to prevent potential contamination of the surrounding waters.
Recovery operations have been ongoing since Sunday under the supervision of an Australian salvage expert who arrived on scene to coordinate the ship’s removal efforts.
Officials from the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji, the agency responsible for regulating marine operations in the region, have not yet provided comment on the incident.
