Passengers and crew rescued from cruise ship after engine room fire
All passengers were rescued from a cruise ship in Glacier Bay, Alaska Monday morning after a fire broke out in the ship’s engine room.
Fifty-one passengers and 16 crew members were evacuated from the Wilderness Discoverer, a small expedition ship owned by California-based Adventure Smith Explorations.
Sapphire Princess, a cruise ship that departed from Vancouver Wednesday, was alerted by the U.S. Coast Guard around 9 a.m. that the Discoverer was nearby and needed help.
The Princess, also owned by a California-based cruise line, sent a water shuttle to transfer the passengers and crew to their ship.
There were no injuries, according to a statement from Princess Cruises.
“Princess Cruises continues to work with the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities to support these passengers in their forward travel,” the company wrote.
Eleven crew members remained on board the Discoverer, which was scheduled to be towed by a tug boat to Ketchikan, Alaska, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Coast guard cutter ships and a helicopter were sent to the area to assist the Discoverer.
"Our primary concern is ensuring the safety of the passengers and the crew," said Lt. j.g. Maximilian Carfagno, the command duty officer at the Coast Guard’s Sector Juneau command center, in a statement.
“The quick launch of our assets and the teamwork among the Sapphire Princess helped in the timeliness of this rescue,” he continued.
“It’s been a wild day to say the least,” Laura Greenleaf, a passenger on the Sapphire Princess, told CTV News. ““Everybody seemed in good spirits for the most part.”
She said the passengers of the Discoverer were on the larger ship for less than an hour before another vessel came to transport them.
Later, another helicopter was sent to rescue a passenger having a medical emergency. Greenleaf said it was a passenger of the Princess and unrelated to the fire incident.
“It’s also a little concerning, because when they made the first announcement you’re like ‘Oh my gosh is our ship on fire?’” she recalled of the rescue.
“We've never had this kind of situation before, and then to have it compounded with somebody else needing assistance is kind of unheard of,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.