The Fiji Princess, operated by Blue Lagoon, was left trapped near Monuriki Island after the incident – the picturesque filming location for the 2000 Tom Hanks movie Cast Away
Scores of cruise ship passengers were rescued from a secluded island after the luxury liner collided with a reef and became stranded. The Fiji Princess, run by Blue Lagoon, found itself trapped near Monuriki Island – the stunning backdrop for the 2000 Tom Hanks film Cast Away.
A minimum of 30 passengers were safely evacuated and transported to shore, along with their luggage, on Sunday – the day following the ship’s collision with the reef. A ferry transported the passengers to safety at dawn before relocating them and 30 crew members to Port Denarau.
“All were safely rescued yesterday and moved to [Port] Denarau,” the Fiji Navy informed ABC News. “We understand there still some crew members on board. There were no reported injuries and all were safe.”
Blue Lagoon Cruises revealed that an investigation into the incident is underway, but initial findings suggest a “severe squall” resulted in the ship’s anchor dragging towards a nearby reef, causing it to halt, reports the Mirror.
“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,” they explained.
The company further stated that any pumpable fuel or oil aboard the ship had been removed to minimise the risk of an environmental catastrophe.
An Australian salvage expert has been on site since Sunday to supervise recovery operations, according to the statement.
The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (Msaf) confirmed it had dispatched officers to evaluate the ship on Saturday. A representative stated: “Initial checks confirmed that the vessel has suffered serious damage to its rear left side, including the area where the steering equipment is located.
“Part of the vessel underneath has also been damaged.
“The vessel also experienced engine failure and was reported to be taking in water following the grounding. Due to rough seas and strong waves, officers were unable to safely inspect the vessel underwater at the time.”