Cruise Ship Runs Aground in Alaska

The Empress of the North is a 223-passenger cruise ship owned by Majestic America Line, but its history has been less than majestic. For the fourth time since it was launched, it had an accident -- this time hitting Hanus Rock at the southern end of Icy Strait, less than 60 miles from Juneau. The 206 passengers on board were evacuated early this morning by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska State Ferry and several dozen volunteer rescue boats.

Majestic America is the rebranding of the combined American West Steamboat Company and Delta Queen riverboats, and now claims to be "the largest river and coastal cruising company in the United States." In fact, the 360-foot Majestic Queen was rebuilt to look more like a riverboat than a cruise ship. There's even a decorative paddlewheel at the stern. Bizarre!

This imperially named ship with the weird cultural cross-fertilization (a Mississippi riverboat in appearance gliding through Alaskan waters!) has sailed under a cloud since it was launched. According to KOMO-TV in Seattle, where the ship was built and is based, this is the fourth time it has hit something or run aground since it began service in 2003. According to the station:

• In October of 2003, the Empress of the North hit a navigation lock at the Ice Harbor dam on the Snake River.
• In November of 2003, it ran aground on the Oregon side of the Columbia River near The Dalles.
• In March of 2006 it grounded on a sand bar in the Columbia near Washougal.
• In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that the ship failed an inspection in February, and the agency is reportedly investigating what caused 26 passengers and seven crew members to get sick during a five-day Columbia River cruise in March.

This time, according to reports, the ship ran aground, took on water and suffered a breached oil tank, but somehow oil did not pollute the sea. It listed about 10 degrees but stabilized before continuing to Juneau under its own power with a Coast Guard escort. The weather was rainy and the glacier-fed water was a chilly 40 to 50 degrees.

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P.S. added to this post later in the evening:
The following press release (with no individual person's contact information) appeared later on the Majestic America Line website:

2101 4th Avenue, Suite 1150, Seattle, WA 98121 Phone: 206.292.9606
www.majesticamericaline.com

Revised Statement
3:30 p.m. PDT
May 14, 2007

Majestic America Line has announced that all of the passengers and crew of
Empress of the North have been safely transferred to Juneau following a
grounding incident in Southeast Alaska at 1:40 am local time today (May 14,
2007). The passengers and some crew members arrived in Juneau aboard the
Alaska state ferry, Columbia, at approximately noon today local time where
they were met by company representatives.

Passengers will be accommodated locally before boarding homeward
flights. Essential members of the crew stayed aboard Empress of the North,
which arrived under her own power in Juneau a short time ago. She is now
undergoing a thorough assessment and investigation of the incident.

No injuries were reported during the incident.

Empress of the North was on the second day of a seven day cruise of
Alaska’s Inside Passage roundtrip from Juneau that departed on Saturday, May
12. According to David Giersdorf, President “The safety and comfort of our
guests is our number one priority. We are continuing to take all measures to
ensure that all of their needs are met in as a result of this situation. We
are working closely with all regulatory authorities to undertake a full
investigation and assess the condition of the vessel.”

“In addition, we would like to thank the U.S. Coast Guard for their exceptional response and support in this incident We are indeed fortunate that we have such dedicated professionals protecting America’s coastlines and waterways. We also want to express our gratitude to the vessels and crew members who assisted with the transfer of guests off the Empress of the North, as well as the Alaska Marine Highway system for supplying the Columbia and her officers and crew for transporting our guests back to Juneau. The cooperation and support from all parties involved has been exemplary.”