A Fiji Princess cruise ship grounded at a reef near uninhabited Monuriki Island on Saturday, forcing all 30 passengers and 17 of the 31 crew off the vessel the same day. No injuries were reported.
The ship suffered serious damage to its rear left side, including the area where the steering equipment is located, and part of the underside was also damaged, authorities said. It also lost engine power and was reported to be taking in water after the grounding.
That damage left crews racing to contain a possible environmental problem as the vessel carried about 20,000 litres of diesel fuel. Authorities brought oil spill equipment to the area as a precaution, and salvage teams were working on Monday to remove fuel and oil from the ship with help from a salvage specialist from Australia.
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Monuriki, about 45km west of the city of Nadi, is part of Fiji’s Mamanuca Island chain and is uninhabited. It was the filming location for the 2000 movie Cast Away, and the US version of Survivor has been filmed on the wider island chain since 2016.
Blue Lagoon Cruises advertises the Fiji Princess as small enough to get close to shore and tie off to a coconut tree, a sales pitch that now sits in sharp contrast to the damage the vessel took at the reef. The transport back to Port Denarau ended the immediate rescue effort, but the next phase depended on calmer weather to begin recovering the ship safely.
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The maritime safety authority said its main concern was the safety of everyone involved, the protection of Fiji’s marine environment and making sure the response continued safely. With the fuel still aboard and the hull compromised, the question now is whether the vessel can be stabilized before the weather turns rough again.
