Cruise Ship Freed From Bermuda Reef

The grounded cruise ship near the Bermuda coast has been freed, sending the 3,500 passengers on their way back to Boston. The cruise line reported that the rising tide helped to release the ship from its reef landing point and push it into deeper, safer waters. Once there, they anchored overnight as a team of experts inspected the ship for damage. No damage was reported.

As reported previously on the Inquistr, the Norwegian Cruise Line ship ran into a bit of trouble as they were heading back to Boston, following an excursion to Bermuda. The Norwegian Dawn was just leaving Kings Wharf in Bermuda when it lost power temporarily. The loss of power affected the propulsion system and pushed it onto the reef just off of the British island, grounding it for several hours.

Crew members were lowered into the water to inspect the ship, tugboats arrived to assess the situation, and the chief maritime operator searched the ship for electrical issues. Thankfully, everything seemed to be in working order.

The ship was grounded for more than six hours, spanning over Tuesday night and the early hours of Wednesday morning. The trip was meant to be seven days round-trip, spending a total of three days in port. Thanks to this extra stop, it looks like guests received a complementary day aboard the Norwegian Dawn. As soon as the ship was freed, they anchored and commenced a full inspection by a crew of experts before setting off again.

The company released a statement saying that “All guests and crew are safe and there were absolutely no injuries.” They also reported that the ship had received no damage, and once the full inspection was complete, they would continue on their journey back to Boston.

Ship guests reported that the grounding occurred while many were eating dinner. They felt the ship make contact with the reef, as the rooms around them shuddered for nearly a minute and then came to a sudden stop. Some guests rushed for the nearest window, but most rushed to the top deck of the ship to see what had happened.

The crew remained calm overall, although a few crew members seemed to be running around in a frenzy, trying to get a handle on the situation. This caused many guests to feel incredibly uneasy, but overall, their was a general state of calm for both crew and guests. Once the ruckus calmed, the cruise schedule resumed, and guests returned to their dining and planned entertainment pleasure.

Officials are not yet sure if the Norwegian Dawn will be available for the next round-trip cruise from Boston to Bermuda, despite plans to begin boarding this Friday.