| YEAR |
SHIP |
EVENT |
| 2008 |
Sky Wonder (Pullmantur Cruises) | The ship ran aground as a result of
strong winds while the port of Kusadasi (Turkey). A total of 1,029
passengers were evacuated and brought to Kusadasi safely; the cruise
was canceled. According to Think
Spain: It seems that the
captain of the'Sky Wonder' made a mistake as he was manoeuvering the
elderly vessel towards the dock, and given that the ship's reverse gear
was not working and that the Turkish port's tug boats were out of
action, could do nothing to prevent her from slowly drifting on to a
sand bank where she became stuck. The passengers only agreed to abandon
ship after receiving guarantees from the Pullmantour company that
organised the cruise.
According to one of the passengers, Marta (26, from Madrid), "at the
start they only offered us a 50% discount on our next cruise. "A protest meeting was organised and the
passengers - already fuming about not being kept informed about the
situation - opened negotiations, eventually agreeing to accept not only
a full refund (around €900 euros), but also the promised 50% discount. The ship previously ran
aground January 2007 -- click
here for details. |
| Georgis Piraeus-based |
The ship was evacuated (278 passengers and 35 crew) after it ran aground off the Saronic Gulf island of Poros, near Athens. The Greek-flagged ship is believed to have hit a reef three nautical miles from the port of Poros, a small island in the Saronic Gulf an hour's distance from the capital that is popular with tourists.Winds up to 40 kilometres (25 miles) an hour were blowing in the area at the time. The ship was on a day cruise from Piraeus to the Saronic islands of Aegina, Hydra and Poros. | |
| 2007 |
Dipolog Princess (Sulpicio Lines) |
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) today said they have began conducting rescue operations on the ship, carrying 825 passengers, that ran aground some 500 yards off the pier of Tagbilaran, Bohol on Friday morning. The ship hit a shallow area of the Tagbilaran Channel, which was near the Port of Tagbilaran en route to Zamboanga del Norte. The shipping company is sending sister ship agayan Princess to fetch the passengers from the port and bring them to their destination in Zamboanga del Norte. It also sent a tugboat but it failed to pull the vessel free. |
| Lycianda (Blue Lagoon Cruises) |
The ship was on its way back to Lautoka when it was run
aground in Rotuma by cyclone Daman. The ship suffered no damage to its
hull, only minor damage to its rudders and proeplers. Only crew
wasonboard at the time; there were no injuries. (Source: Fiji Times) |
|
| Spirit of Nantucket (Cruise West) |
The ship's captain ran the vessel aground in Virginia Beach this morning to prevent it from sinking. It had begun taking on water while passing through the Intercoastal Waterway after striking something at about 5:30 AM which left a 2 inch by 12 inch gash in the hull near the ned of the ship. None of the 61 passengers or five crew members were as injured in the ship's evacuation. The ship was on a ten day cruise from Alexandria, VA to Charleston, SC. Passengers were given the choice of continuing their tour by bus or returning home with a refund for the remining time of the cruise. | |
| Spirit of Columbia (Cruise West) |
The ship ran aground in Prince William Sound after getting
too close to shore for bear watching -- it went "soft aground" at
low tide near Evans Island at about 10 a.m. "Soft aground" means
the ship essentially was stuck in the mud. It refloated as the
tide came in and by 2 p.m. was headed back to Whittier. |
|
| Royal Express Four (SunCruz Casinos) |
The Port Richey Casino cruise ship ran aground as it was
rerturning to shore. Several passenger fell and two people were
taken to hospital. There were only minor injuries. |
|
| Millennium (Celebrity Cruises) |
Posted at Cruise Critic: Unsceduled day at sea and no
Florence stop... Yesterday while we were in Villefranche the boat
drifted towards shore
and ended up hitting submerged rocks. (Someone wasn't doing their job).
Most people felt a shudder about 5pm last night, then noticed something
was wrong when the cooks and mechanics were looking over aft deck 10
...
Well, after a night of silence from the bridge, we discover through a
letter slipped under our door at 6am that three of the four blades on
the propeller on the starboard side were damaged. We were supposed to
leave port at 8pm, but didn't leave until 11pm. Because of the damage,
the ship can only travel at 11 knots instead of 22. They tried to go
faster, but the ship was rocking so bad it felt like a fast rolling
earthquake. We're still rocking pretty good, a mechanical rocking, not
wave rolling. We are going to have to pass up Florence today and travel
straight to Rome so they can attempt to fix it. Announced
the evening of July 7: Cruise has been cancelled and
passengers may fly home from Rome or be transported to Venice and fly
from there as originally scheduled. |
|
| Disko II (Albatros Travel) |
The small cruise ship ran aground off Greenland's west coast and more than 50 people were evacuated safely Wednesday. It hit rocks near the island of Qeqertarsuaq, but was not believed to be seriously damaged. The 52 passengers - all Danes - and two tour guides were taken ashore as a precaution on the ship's lifeboats and small vessels sent from a village on the island; the 18-member crew remained aboard. The passengers would remain in Qeqertarsuaq, about 155 miles north of the Arctic Circle, while authorities investigated whether the ship (which appeared to not have suffered any damage) could continue its cruise north to Uummannaq, about 310 miles farther north. The cruise had started in Kangerlussuaq, the site of a former U.S. Air Force base in southwestern Greenland. | |
| Island Explorer II (Island
Adventures Tours) |
The Coast Guard said there was no sign of an oil spill or
other pollution after a whale-watching ship ran aground near Deception
Pass State Park (San Juan Islands, Washington State). The boat
managed to pull free after the grounding and was able to make its way
under its own power to Anacortes, where all 52 people
disembarked. The hull of the vessel was damaged and water gushed
into two compartments, but pumps were used to control the flooding. |
|
| Empress of the North (Majestic America Line) | The 360-foot long ship ran aground off the Alaskan coast and
began taking on water near Hanus Reef
in Lynn Canal. It was listing 6 degrees at the southern end of
Icy Strait, about 15 miles southwest of Juneau when all passengers
and most crew (approx 281) were evacuated to a tugboat and
barge. By early morning the ship was moving toward Juneau with 29
crew members
under Coast Guard escort. The accident occured on day 2 of a 7
day cruise. For past events for this ship, check
here. UPDATE:
The ship is expected to return to service in 4 weeks (i.e., June 9). |
|
| Sea Diamond (Louis Cruises) | The ship hit a reef in a lagoon a half mile from shore near the main port of Santorini. It was reported to be taking on water and listed 12 degrees but was stabilized when watertight doors were stabilized. All 1153 passengers and all but 20 of 391 were evacuated from the shi, without injury. Sister ship Perla is en route to Santorini to collect Sea Diamond’s passengers. UPDATE APRIL 6: It is reported that the ship sunk in the early morning hours and that two French passengers — a 45 year-old man and his 16-year-old daughterare missing. | |
| Regal Princess (Princess Cruises) | The 10-day Panama Canal cruise scheduled for February 19 has been canceled after the ship sustained damage to a ballast tank after touching bottom on Sunday’s (2/18) departure from Huatulco. The vessel arrived safely in Acapulco from where it was due to sail for San Juan. Passengers boarded the ship on the 19th and were soon told the cruise was cancelled and the would be flown home. After temporary repairs, the ship will proceed to a drydock. It was announced February 21 that the cruise scheduled for March 1 has also been cancelled. The next scheduled voyage will be March 13 from Lima to San Juan. The ship was seen leaving Acapulco at 10:30AM on February 22. | |
| Nordkapp (Norwegian Coastal Voyage) | The ship touched ground near Deception Island in the Antarctic. No one was injured and the ship sustained an 82 foot long gash to its outer hull. Passengers will be transferred to Nordnorge (a sister ship) which will return to Ushuaia. will have temporary repairs before HMS Endurance escorts her to Argentina for full repairs. Reported Feb 1: "We confirm that there has been a spill, given that traces of hydrocarbons have been detected," Raul Perez, a scientist at Spain's Antarctic base, told Spanish state radio. He said more than 5km of coast had been hit. The spill was estimated to be between 227 and 757 litres of diesel oil. | |
| Sky Wonder (Pullmantur Cruises) | The ship ran aground in the Rio de la Plata in the early morning, three kilometres away from the port of Buenos Aires. Authorities say there were no injuries (though one passenger was subsequently evacuated after complaining of arrhythmia) and indicated strong wind and sea currents pushed the ship to a bank of sand. After three tug-boats failed in the effort to "rescue" the ship, the plan was to wait for high tide. The ship was freed; while the ship underwent a full technical inspection. | |
| 2006 |
Lyubov Orlova (Quark Expeditions) | The ship with 150 passengers onboard ran aground in Whalers' Bay while visiting Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands (en route to Antartica). A Spanish ship responded to the distress call and after an assessment waited for high tide and began towing operations. The Orlova was freed eight hours later and returned to Ushuaia on its own power. |
| Grand Princess (Princess) |
According to a passenger, at approx 19:20 (local time) the ship appeared to run aground while heading to sea from Liverno, Italy. Approx 1/2 mile beyond the harbor entrance, just as the pilot appeared to have disembarked, the ship appeared to come to a soft stop. For the next 30 minutes (from our starboard balcony) it appeared that the ship's officers tried many combinations of thrusters and props at varying speeds and directions trying to twist and pivot the ship back and forth on it's axis until at about 20:00 she began to regain her way forward. No notice was or has been given to passengers. In an unrelated incident, a week and a half ago the Golden Princess in the waters around Rhodes reportedly scraped bottom (sustaining some damage to itself and to the reefs). | |
| Norwegian Crown (NCL) |
The ship ran aground while en route from St. Georges to Hamilton, Bermuda Passengers went ashore by tender. The ship was refloated ten hours later and is expected to keep to its original itinerary. | |
| Columbus (Hapag-Lloyd) |
The ship scraped bottom during her visit to Sault Sainte Marie, sustaining no damage. Return visits October 5 and 16 depend on dredging to remove high spots near the dock face. The high spots, probably caused by sedimentation and wave action, need to be reduced 7 inches in order to accommodate the 17 feet required by the Columbus. (Subsequent visits were cancelled.) | |
| Celebration (Carnival) |
One of the ship's propellers struck bottom while approaching the dock at Nassau spilling an estimated 200 liters of lubricating oil and affecting the operation of the engine. The Nassau call was cancelled and the ship is en route back to its homeport, Jacksonville | |
| Yorktown Clipper (Clipper Cruises) |
Ran aground at Matia Island in Washington state. No injuries. Company fined $1000 for placing passengers at risk because company officials did not report a dent the ship sustained on its bottom. | |
| Regal Princess (Princess Cruises) | The ship became stuck on a sandbar in the Amazon in its current cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Manaus. The ship was freed after 1.5 hours, "by using its bow thrusters, emptying the pools and probably grey water and some ballast." | |
| Empress
of
the North (American West Steamboat) |
The 360-foot cruise ship with more than 250 people on board ran aground on a sandbar near Washougal, Wash>; there were no injuries, the vessel wasn't sinking and a tugboat would be used to refloat it. In the meantime, passengers were transferred to the Queen of the West, which pulled alongside in order to take aboard passengers and crew members. The ship was refloated two days later at high tide. It returned to service April 16th, following repairs. | |
| QM 2 (Cunard) |
The ship returned to Fort Lauderdale shortly after leaving port for a 38-day trip around South America and ending in San Francisco; The ship departed shortly after 1 PM but soon returned because something felt wrong with one of the (propulsion units). An investigation revealed that the ship touched some sort of submerged object and one of the four motor pods was damaged. The ship left 41 hours later than its initial departure and will operate on 3 rather than 4 motors (meaning reduced speeds. | |
| 2005 |
Pacific Sky (P&O Australia) | The ship suffered engine problems and drifted onto the reef of Bayonnaise near the isle of Pines (New Caledonia) on Sunday. Police divers found it suffered no damage. Two tugs arrived on Monday from Noumea to free the ship and Lloyds surveyor is en route from Brisbane to certify the ship is fit to sail. The incident occurred in calm conditions and all on board are safe. |
| Hanseatic (Hapag-Lloyd) | The ship ran aground near the island of Luroy off the Norwegian coast just south of the Polar Circle. The grounding caused a 5 meter hole in the ships hull. The ship remained stable and sailed to Bodo from where passengers flew back to Germany. | |
| European Highlander (P&O Ferries) | The ship ran aground off Cairnryan Harbour in the west of Scotland and was refloated after being stuck on a shingle bank for more than 30 hours. An initial inspection of the hull carried out by Maritime and Coastguard Agency divers found limited damage. | |
| 2004 |
Sapphire Princess (Princess Cruises) | From a reader: As the ship came into the inlet to anchor at Moorea it lost all power and was out of control for about 5 minutes, which resulted in the ship touching the coral reef. Two weeks later the captain admitted what had happened and that to lose control of the ship was the worst thing to happen in his career. He told us that in August one of the front three thrusters packed in and a little while later the second one left him. As we manoeuvred into Moorea the last one as he said, left us resulting in a power surge and cutting all power. The only way to stop the ship was to drop an anchor and he said they just touched the reef. We then had to use tugs from then on and I don’t think even as I write this that the three thrusters have been fixed. |
| Clipper Odyssey (Clipper Cruise Line) | Ran hard aground on rocks in the Aleutian Islands, forcing 153 passengers and crew to transfer to other ships and spilling an undetermined amount of fuel from a ruptured tank. No injuries were reported and the ship floated free with the tide early Sunday. It proceeded on its own power to Unalaska. | |
| Le Conte (Alaska Marine Highway) | The Alaska ferry nearly sank after running aground Cozian Reef in Peril Strait en route to Sitka. 86 passengers and 23 crew were on board at the time and all safely evacuated the ship upon grounding. Soon after, 23,000 gallons of fuel were pumped out of the fuel tanks and cars were transferred to a landing craft in an elaborate procedure. A salvage operation then began and the vessel was successfully escorted to Ketchikan's Alaska Ship and Dry Dock for repairs under tow after temporary patches were put onto the expansive gashes that compromised five separate compartments of the hull — enough to have sunk the ship had it been lifted off its perch on the reef. After assessing the circumstances of the grounding, it was concluded operator error caused the incident (not the notorious tidal currents that Peril Strait is known for) and those in command of the vessel were fired from the ferry system. | |
| Mona Lisa (Holiday Kreuzfahrten | The 655 foot ship, with 1000 passengers onboard, got stuck in the mud close to St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy. It was at the start of its voyage. There were no injuries and no known damage to the ship, but the grounding renewed calls for ships not to be allowed to cross the St. Mark's Basin. | |
| Astor (Transocean Tours) | It was disclosed on March 3 that the ship had grounded in the shipping channel after leaving Townsville port, Australia. According to Australian authorities, the ship made a turn a bit too late and hit soft mud at the end of the channel. The ship was detained for two hours to ensure seaworthiness. It was further inspected at Cairns (its next stop) and found to have sustained no damage. | |
| 2003 |
Empress
of
the North (American West Steamboat) |
The paddle wheel ship was headed upriver to Clarkson when it hit the gate at Ice Harbor Dam and became stuck in the navigational lock. 200 Passengers bussed back to Portland. |
| Empress
of
the North (American West Steamboat) |
Ship went aground on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. Two crew and on passenger suffered minor injuries. | |
| Mona Lisa (Holiday Kreuzfahrten) | 670 passengers were evacuated after the ship ran on to rocks near Sptisbergen in the Barents Sea (close to the Arctic Circle. Both propellers and the hull are thought to be damaged. Cruise scheduled for August 2 has been cancelled. | |
| Summit (Celebrity Cruises) | The hull was damaged when the vessel, under the control of a marine pilot who called out instructions as a crew member steered, hit a rock leaving Hubbard Glacier. The result was a 10-foot-long hole in the ballast tank midway along the hull, and a 140-foot-long crease. The ship docked safely at Seward on Friday (July 11). | |
| Spirit of Columbia (Cruise West) | The master reported that his vessel had went "touch and go" (hit bottom) and possibly bent the port shaft and propeller in Jackpot Bay, Prince William Sound, approximately 75 miles south of Whittier. All passengers were safely off-loaded in Whittier and the ship was inspected. | |
| Vistamar (Plantours & Partners) | Ship collided with underwater rocks near the port of Ibiza. It was towed by emergency tugs to Ibiza and all passengers and crew evacuated. This cruise, planned to end on May 27, was cancelled as were two additional cruises. | |
| Safari Spirit (American Safari Cruises) | Ship hit some rocks about 80 miles north of the northern tip of Vancouver while sailing from Seattle to Alaska. All aboard were safely evacuated to lifeboats. The ship sank in about 30 feet of water. | |
| 2002 |
Olympic Voyager (Royal Olympic Cruises) | Ship pulled for service for three weeks after it experienced minor damage in the portside hull below the waterline. The damage was incurred when it reportedly attempted to avoid a 'foreign flag' vessel and grounded. Passengers were transferred to the Aegean I for the remainder of their cruise. |
| Clipper Adventurer (Clipper) |
Ship ran aground in the vicinity of Deception Island (King George Island, Antarctica). The ship was freed by a Chilean icebreaker. There was minor damage but no pollution occurred and there were no injuries. | |
| Holiday (Carnival) |
The ship became lodged on a sandy bottom of the Caribbean Sea, a quarter mile off the coast of Playa del Carmen. There were no injuries or damage. The ship was freed after 3 days of trying (Pax evacuated). | |
| Clipper Odyssey (Clipper) |
Ship (with 106 pax and 78 crew) went aground on St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea in favourable conditions. After calling for help because attempts to free were futile, the crew shifted all aft water to the stern of the ship and deployed the ship's stern anchor to get back afloat. No damage and no spills. | |
| Clipper Adventurer (Clipper) |
While on an eco-tour of Brazil, Suriname, French Guiana, and Guyana, the ship ran aground on a sand-bank in the Essequibo River (Guyana's major waterway). Stuck for more than a day. | |
| Black Prince (Fred Olsen) |
Ran aground on a sand bank while leaving Casilda, Cuba. After several unsuccessful attempts to free ship, passengers evacuated and bused to Havana for flights home. | |
| 2001 |
Costa Tropicale |
Grounded at Venice, towed free by tugboats. 2 weeks later grounded at Mykonos, towed free by Costa Atlantica |
| Wilderness Explorer |
Grounded in Alaska | |
| Regal Princess (Princess) |
Grounded at Cairns; freed and continues | |
| Mistral (Festival) |
Grounded off Nevis; Stuck for more than 1 day | |
| 2000 |
World Discoverer |
Hit rock or reef and holed – Forced to beach. 100 passengers rescued - Solomon Islands |
| Carousel (Sun Cruises) |
Ran over rocks causing propeller damage and oil leak (50 ton spill) – Abandon ship at Calica | |
| 1999 |
Norwegian Sky (NCL) | Grounded in St. Lawrence – Out for 8 weeks |
| Radisson Diamond (Radisson) | Grounded near Stockholm – Refloated | |
| Spirit of 98 (Sightseeing Tours) | Grounded in mouth of Tracy Arm (SE of Juneau) – Holed. Evacuated | |
| Wilderness Explorer (Glacier Bay) | Grounded west of Juneau - Refloated | |
| 1998 |
Monarch of the Seas (RCCL) |
Strikes charted reef at St. Maarten – holed. 27,000 sq feet of coral reef damaged. Out for four months. |
| 1997 |
Leeward (NCL) |
Collides with Great Mayan Reef near Cancun – damages 460 sq yard swath of coral |
| Noordam (Holland America) |
Soft grounding off Mexican coast – Propeller damage. Passengers sent home. Out for 1 week | |
| Hanseatic (Hapag-Lloyd) | Grounded in Norwegian Arctic - Evacuated, refloated, continues | |
| Albatross (Phoenix Horizon) |
Holed while leaving Isles of Scilly – Out for 2 weeks | |
| 1996 |
Hanseatic (Hapag-Lloyd) |
Grounded in North passage – Refloated after being evacuated |
| Gripsholm (Cunard) |
Grounded 2 miles from Swedish port – Out for 2 weeks Officers resign | |
| Royal Viking Sun (Cunard) |
Collision with reef in Red Sea – Holed. Out for 2 months | |
| Tropicale (Carnival) |
Grounded while leaving Tampa – Freed. Harbour pilot complains that ship failed to respond to 3 different orders to turn | |
| 1995 |
Sovereign of the Seas (RCCL) | Grounded in mud bank in San Juan Harbour – Freed after 80 minutes; Towed to port, leaves 24 hours late |
| America Queen (Delta Steamboat) | Grounded
in Ohio
River
for 1 day – Refloated |
|
| Star Princess (P&O) | Grounded in Alaska – 40' long, 8" wide gash + 100' gash,modest pollution. Evacuated by tender. Out for 6 weeks | |
| Royal Majesty (Majesty) | Grounded off Nantucket - 17 mi off course | |
| Renaissance Six (Renaissance) | Grounded, eastern Aegean – Evacuated. One cruise cancelled | |
| 1994 |
Royal Odyssey (Royal) | Grounded leaving Rome – Out for one month. |
| Starward (NCL) | Grounded on St. John, VI – oil spill of 100 gallons | |
| Nieuw Amsterdam (Holland America) | Grounded in SE Alaska – 200 ft crease in hull, damaged propeller, puncture in ballast tank, 260 gallon spill. Refloated in 30 minutes – Out for 2 weeks. | |
| Sally Albatross (Later renamed Leeward) | Grounded in Gulf of Finland – Half-sunk | |
| 1993 |
Yorktown Clipper (Clipper) | Grounded in Glacier Bay -- Spills 28,000 gal of fuel 45 west of Juneau Evacuated. |
| Ocean Princess (Pacquet) | Grounded near Belem – Life boat evacuation Declared a total loss | |
| 1992 |
Nantucket Clipper (Clipper) | Aground off Maine - 4 minor injuries. Refloated 3 hours later – Damage to hull and diesel tank |
| QE II (Cunard) | Grounded off Cape Cod – 74 foot gash – Cruises cancelled | |
| Mermoz (Pacquet) | Grounded off Scandinavia – 2 cruises cancelled | |
| Tropic Star (Starlite) | Runs aground in Freeport | |
| 1991 |
Seaward (NCL) | Runs aground near Miami after plastic bag caught in an air intake and engine shut down |
| 1990 |
Regent Star (Regency) | Fire and grounded while approaching Philadelphia – Evacuated |
| Bermuda Star (Bahamas) | Grounded off Nova Scotia – evacuated. Freed after 13 hours | |
| 1989 |
Frontier Spirit | Grounded
in storm off Fiji |
| 1986 |
Dolphin (Dolphin) | Grounded in Bahamas |
| 1985 |
Amerikanis (Fantasy) | Grounded off Mexico – 5 days to free |
| Bermuda Star (Bahamas) | Grounded off Key West | |
| 1984 |
Yankee Clipper (Clipper) | Grounded after tearing from anchorage at St. Martin |
| Sundancer (Sundance Cruises) |
On her third cruise on the US/Canadian west
coast, the ship was declared a total constructive loss after hitting
rocks off Maud Island, just north of Vancouver Island and being driven
ashore in Duncan Bay by the captain. The ship sank (partially
submerged) and was evacuated with no loss of life, though lifeboats
were useless and there was considerable confusion and terror.
Human error is blamed for the accident. According to Canadian
investigators, following the grounding the ship anchored in Menzies Bay
(16 km north of Campbell River) to assess damage. With
uncontrollable flooding below decks, it headed back to open sea,
limping an hour later -- at 1 AM -- into Duncan Bay (8 km south) where
passengers were evacuated. Crew were disorganized and evacuation
was largely coordinated by passengers themselves. |
|
| Rhapsody | Grounded off Cayman Islands – Evacuated after 4 days; freed after 12 days | |
| 1982 |
Alaskan Majestic Explorer (Exploration) | Grounded – Evacuated 1 dead; 2 injured. Captain charged with negligence |
| 1978 |
Kungsholm | Aground for 5 days at Martinique |
| 1972 |
Mardi Gras (Carnival) | Maiden Voyage – runs aground leaving Miami Harbour. Stuck for 24 hours |