World
Luxury cruise ship runs aground off Dominican Republic
Reportedly, guests and crew members are safe, while the ship isn’t damaged.
A Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. luxury liner had run aground off the Caribbean island nation's north coast after leaving the port of Puerto Plata on Monday evening, officials in the Dominican Republic confirmed.
According to a company spokesperson, the Norwegian Escape hit the channel bed as it was departing Puerto Plata on Monday afternoon.
According to local media reports, the ship was currently carrying 3,223 guests and 1,618 crew.
Reportedly, guests and crew members are safe, while the ship isn’t damaged.
Operations and services on board are continuing as scheduled while the company works on a solution to free the liner and ready it for a safe departure.
Passengers on the ship, which originally departed out of Orlando, Florida, said crew had been trying to extricate the vessel unsuccessfully for the past few hours.
Norwegian operates a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departs Florida on Saturdays and stops in Puerto Plata, or Silver Port, for passengers to take a cable-car ride to the peak of Mount Isabel de Torres before setting off for St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands
Local video showed tugboats coming to the assistance of the ship in hopes of freeing the vessel.
Built in 2015, the ship—one of the operator’s biggest— carries a maximum of 4,266 passengers and 1,733 crew, with a length of 1,069 feet.