Passengers, crew rescued from Alaska cruise ship in Glacier Bay National Park
June 6, 2023
Dozens of passengers and crew members were rescued after the cruise ship they were on caught fire in Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska on Monday.
The U.S. Coast Guard said they received a call from the Wilderness Discoverer cruise ship around 7:30 a.m.
Boat and aircrews from the Coast Guard quickly responded, along with resources from the National Park Service.
“All 51 passengers, along with 16 crew members, were safely disembarked aboard the cruise ship Sapphire Princess,” officials said in a statement.
“Our primary concern is ensuring the safety of the passengers and the crew,” said L.t. j.g. Maximilian Carfagno, the command duty officer at the Sector Juneau command center.
“The quick launch of our assets and the teamwork among the Sapphire Princess helped in the timeliness of this rescue.”
Officials say that 11 crew members remained aboard the Wilderness Discoverer and are scheduled to rendezvous with the tug boat Taku Wind, which will tow the vessel to Ketchikan.
UnCruise Adventures, the company that owns the Wilderness Discoverer, said the fire was contained to the engine room onboard the 76-passenger vessel, but the cause remains unknown.
“We are relieved to confirm that there have been no injuries resulting from the fire. Our highly trained crew promptly extinguished the fire using established emergency protocols, and CO2 was successfully deployed for everyone’s safety,” said UnCruise Adventures Owner & CEO, Captain Dan Blanchard.
“Guests … will be taken to the park headquarters, and flights home will be organized for them. All guest’s belongings will be gathered and transported to them and our focus continues to be on the safety of the guests and crew in this situation,” Liz Galloway, director of marketing for UnCruise Adventures, tells FOX Weather.
https://nypost.com/2023/06/06/passengers-crew-rescued-from-alaska-cruise-ship-in-glacier-bay-national-park/