An engine room fire on a small cruise ship in Glacier Bay on June 5 resulted in nearly 70 passengers and crew being transferred to a much larger cruise ship nearby, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and the disabled boat’s owner.
No significant injuries or environmental impact were reported.
The engine fire occurred at 7:23 a.m. on the 178-foot Wilderness Discoverer, according to a press release by UnCruise Adventures, which owns and operates the vessel. The boat has capacity for 76 guests, plus crew.
“We are relieved to confirm that there have been no injuries resulting from the fire,” said Capt. Dan Blanchard, UnCruise Adventures’ owner and CEO. “Our highly trained crew promptly extinguished the fire.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to UnCruise Adventures.
The Sapphire Princess cruise ship had just passed the Wilderness Discoverer near Gilbert Peninsula at the time the fire was discovered. The tour boat didn’t seem to be in distress, Dan Reilly, a passenger aboard the Sapphire Princess, told the Juneau Empire. However, Reilly said, shortly after passing the Wilderness Discoverer the captain of the Sapphire Princess said the ship was turning around to help the smaller vessel.
The Sapphire Princess lowered one of its large, enclosed lifeboats, and picked up 51 passengers and 16 crew from the disabled Discoverer.
“Eleven crew members remain aboard the Wilderness Discoverer and are scheduled to rendezvous with the tugboat Taku Wind, who will tow the vessel to Ketchikan,” the Coast Guard reported.
Two Coast Guard ships along with a helicopter were deployed to the area to assist with the rescue.
UnCruise Adventures, in its press release, stated the company is trying to minimize inconvenience to passengers resulting from the incident.
“The cruise line will be providing full refunds to all passengers affected by the incident, and providing hotels and flights home for those affected,” the release notes.
Wrangell is not on the boat’s itinerary for this summer.
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