The Captain of the cruise ship Empress of the North has called for passengers to abandon the ship after hitting a rock off Juneau Alaska. Reports are still light on facts but here is the initial AP report:
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A cruise ship ran aground off the Alaska coast early Monday, and more than 200 passengers were being transferred to life boats and a nearby barge, Coast Guard officials said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The 360-foot Empress of the North, carrying 281 people, was listing by about 6 degrees after hitting a rock at the southern end of the Icy Strait, about 15 miles southwest of Juneau, said Petty Officer Christopher D. McLaughlin at the Coast Guard base in Kodiak.
A Coast Guard plane and helicopter were dispatched after an emergency radio message came in from the ship at 12:35 a.m.,
The ship is owned by Majestic America Line of Seattle and has a maximum capacity for 223 guests. This has been a bad year for the ship after 23 passengers took ill and the ship subsequently failed its CDC inspection earlier this year. That incident is still under investigation.
STORY UPDATE:
This is Empress of the North’s Second Grounding
gCaptain’s continued coverage of this incident: LINK
Links:
Ship’s website.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed Black Sea safety on Wednesday, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said, after Ankara expressed alarm at attacks on Russia-linked tankers, some claimed by Ukraine.
A Russian-flagged tanker loaded with sunflower oil reported a drone attack off the Turkish coast on Tuesday, but its 13 crew members were unharmed, Turkey's maritime authority and the Tribeca shipping agency said.
Several tankers operated by Turkey’s Be?ikta? Likid, the operator of the Mersin, were sanctioned by Ukraine in the past for their involvement in ship-to-ship transfers linked to the so-called dark fleet, according to shipping records and Ukrainian government listings.
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