Passengers Abandon Cruise Grounded on Island from 2000 Movie “Cast Away"
Passengers aboard the Fiji cruise ship might have thought they were about to relive a scene from the 2000 movie “Cast Away,” in which Tom Hanks becomes stranded for years on an uninhabited island. Their ship, the Fiji Princess, grounded on April 4 on the same island used in the movie.
The 179-foot (55-meter) cruise ship operates cruises up to a week in length around the islands in Fiji. Built in 1998, the ship has 32 passenger cabins with a maximum capacity of 64 passengers, along with 31 crew.
According to the initial reports, the vessel was at anchor in calm waters when it was hit by a severe squall that caused it to drag anchor. It hit a reef and, according to the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji, suffered serious damage to its port side along the stern. The hull has been damaged and was experiencing an ingress of water in an area near the steering equipment. The ship was sitting on the reef with a strong list to port.
The 30 passengers aboard this cruise were removed from the ship at first light on Sunday along with 17 crewmembers. A ferry transferred them back to Port Denarau. The authorities have not reported injuries among the passengers or crew.
The primary concern, they said, was 20,000 liters of diesel fuel aboard the vessel. There were no signs of a fuel leak or damage to the tanks, but they prepositioned containment equipment as a precaution.
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The vessel’s owners, Blue Lagoon Cruises, brought in a salvage team from Australia, which reached the location on Sunday. However, due to rough seas and strong waves, the authorities reported they had been unable to send down divers to survey the underside of the hull.
A strong tropical storm was approaching Fiji, so the remaining crew was moved off the ship overnight for their safety. The plan was to begin removing the fuel as soon as possible while the salvage team surveyed the damage and determined how to remove the vessel.