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Cruise ship taking on water off Alaska
2007-05-14
A cruise ship ran aground off the Alaska coast and was taking on water early Monday as more than 200 passengers were being transferred to nearby ships, Coast Guard officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The Empress of the North, carrying 281 passengers and crew, was listing 6 degrees after hitting a rock at the southern end of Icy Strait, about 15 miles southwest of Juneau, said Petty Officer Christopher D. McLaughlin at the Coast Guard base in Kodiak. A Coast Guard aircraft and helicopter were dispatched after an emergency radio message came in from the ship at 12:35 a.m., McLaughlin said. Over the following hours, passengers were transferred from the Empress of the North to fishing vessels and other cruise ships that were in the area. "Many Good Samaritan boats on scene are taking off passengers," he said. It wasn't immediately clear why the ship ran around, McLaughlin said. The Empress of the North is operated by Majestic America Line of Seattle. The ship has 112 staterooms, a three-story paddlewheel and galleries featuring Native American masks and Russian artwork, including Faberge eggs, according to its Web site. The American-built ship is billed by the company as the only overnight paddlewheel vessel in use on Alaskan cruises. It also is used on cruises on the Columbia River between Washington state and Oregon. ___ On the Net: http://www.majesticamericaline.com
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