A cruise ship carrying 30 passengers ran aground on a reef off Fiji on Saturday, April 4.
The 55-metre Fiji Princess was near uninhabited Monuriki Island when a "severe squall" caused her anchor to drag towards a nearby reef, resulting in her becoming stranded, operator Blue Lagoon Cruises said in a statement.
A ferry was later brought alongside to evacuate the cruise ship's 30 passengers and their belongings and to bring them to another island. No injuries have been reported.
Seventeen of the 31-strong crew have also been evacuated while the remaining 14 stayed on board to check for any signs of damage.
Blue Lagoon Cruises added that an operation was undertaken to remove a significant portion of the ship's fuel and other pumpable oils, thus reducing the risk of the surrounding waters becoming contaminated. The company said this effort, which also involved a salvage team sent from Australia, was completed by Monday, April 6.
A spokesperson for the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji said the vessel's port stern quarter and part of the lower hull sustained damage from the grounding.
