A courtesy shuttle heads back to The World, part luxury cruise liner and part condominium, which was anchored off Wrangell over the weekend. Its travels to Petersburg Monday night were delayed by a medical emergency, which forced the vessel to return briefly to Wrangell.
Wrapping up a visit to Wrangell over the weekend, cruise ship The World was on its way to Petersburg late Monday when a medical emergency took precedence.
Wrangell Fire Chief Tim Buness received a call from the local emergency dispatcher at around 8:15 p.m., relaying that the vessel required assistance. He contacted the United States Coast Guard about the situation.
At 644 feet, The World is the largest private residential ship on earth. During its several-day stay in Wrangell it remained anchored offshore, with passengers conveyed to and from dockside facilities by a smaller vessel. Navigating its way to Petersburg would have required bypassing the Wrangell Narrows, which under the circumstances would have taken too long for the emergency.
Instead, Buness reported the Coast Guard made the call to have the ship return to Wrangell. Seven emergency responders awaited the vessel at the city dock's seasonal floats, as low tidal conditions made getting up and down the ramp quite steep.
"Just a few extra hands. Normally we wouldn't need so many," Buness explained.
The World's smaller shuttle arrived at around 11 p.m., and the passenger was removed by stretcher and transported by ambulance to Wrangell Medical Center. Due to privacy concerns, the identity of the patient and nature of the injury were not revealed.
Due into Petersburg Tuesday morning, the emergency set back the large liner's schedule but it is again on its way. Since The World's launch in 2002, the various occupants of its 165 onboard luxury homes have been on a continuous circumnavigation of the globe. Making stops at ports several days at a time, it periodically stops into Wrangell
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