Luxury cruise ship runs aground while leaving Caribbean port

A Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. luxury liner has run aground while trying to leave a port in the Dominican Republic. The ship’s operator is now looking to free the vessel, which at the moment doesn’t have any reports of damage.

The Norwegian Escape hit the channel bed as it was departing Puerto Plata on Monday afternoon, according to a company spokesperson. Guests and crew are safe, while the ship isn’t damaged. Operations and services on board are continuing as scheduled while the company works on a solution to free the liner and ready it for a safe departure. 

Passengers on the ship, which originally departed out of Orlando, Florida, said crew had been trying to extricate the vessel unsuccessfully for the past few hours.

One, who goes by the Twitter handle, The Disney Dude, gave an update that suggested the ship will be waiting for high tide in the morning to move.

Norwegian operates a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departs Florida on Saturdays and stops in Puerto Plata, or Silver Port, for passengers to take a cable-car ride to the peak of Mount Isabel de Torres before setting off for St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Built in 2015, the Norwegian Escape carries a maximum of 4,266 passengers and 1,733 crew. The ship is one of the operator’s biggest, with a length of 1,069 feet. According to local media reports, it’s currently carrying 3,223 guests and 1,618 crew.