Firm says all 2,675 passengers and more than 1,000 crew on board are safe after ship ran aground before being floated off reef at high tide

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A Norwegian Cruise Line ship has run aground on a reef after leaving Bermuda. No one was injured and the vessel was later floated off at high tide, the company said.

The Norwegian Dawn was on a week-long cruise from Boston to Bermuda with 2,443 passengers and 1,059 crew on board, the world’s third-largest cruise operator said in a statement.

“All guests and crew are safe and there were absolutely no injuries,” Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line said.

It said the ship was leaving King’s Wharf, Bermuda, about 5pm when the vessel had a “temporary malfunction of its steering system”, which caused it to sail “slightly off course”.

The company said the ship’s officers, engineers and an independent dive team have confirmed the vessel’s structural integrity, and that the ship would also be thoroughly inspected in Bermuda by DNVGL, the ship’s classification society, before returning to Boston.

“The ship is fully operational with the full complement of on-board services available to guests,” the company said, adding it would remain at anchor nearby overnight.

Photos posted on Twitter by people on board showed passengers, some with drinks in hand, strolling on deck and looking out to sea.

Small boats checking for damage were visible, as well as two tug boats and a Bermuda police boat, and scuba divers in wetsuits preparing to investigate below the waterline.

Rachel Hansen, a student at Coastal Carolina university in Conway, South Carolina, said the ship had shuddered for 10 to 15 seconds as it ground to a halt. She added that there was no sudden jolt that might have panicked passengers, and the captain of the vessel had moved swiftly to assuage fears by assuring people over the intercom that there had been no visible damage.

“He told us they had lost control of the steering and that’s why the ship was grounded on the coral reef. They sent divers down under the ship,” said Hansen, who was on board the Norwegian Dawn on a five-day vacation with her family.

Passengers have been told the cruise-liner would definitely not be moving until Thursday at the earliest. “The captain’s told us to sit and wait for more information.”

In the meantime, the holidaygoers were trying to act as though it was business as normal. “Shows are still going on, food and drinks are still being served. It’s definitely a bit stressful, but people are trying to keep happy,” Hansen said.

An official with Bermuda’s Rescue Coordination Center told the Associated Press the ship hit the reef near Bermuda’s North Channel. The official said there were 2,675 passengers and 1,062 crew members on board the ship, adding that it was in a stable position.

Norwegian Cruise Line said in a brief statement that the ship temporarily lost power and its propulsion was affected. “The ship’s propulsion was affected and, at which time, the vessel made contact with the channel bed,” it said.

The US Coast Guard declined to comment and referred calls to authorities in Bermuda.

The Norwegian Dawn offers a seven-day, round-trip cruise to Bermuda, where it spends three days in port. It was on its way to Boston when the accident happened.