Trip for thousands cut short after luxury cruise ship ran aground

Thousands of passengers on a Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. luxury liner that ran aground while trying to leave a port in the Dominican Republic are having their Caribbean voyage cut short so the operator can fix damage to the ship. 

The Norwegian Escape hit the channel bed as it was departing Puerto Plata Monday afternoon, according to a company spokesperson. The ship sustained minor damage to its hull and the cruise line will halt the current cruise as well as cancel another voyage that was set to embark on March 19 to make the necessary repairs, the spokesperson said. 

The vessel was refloated past midnight on Tuesday after tugs had been employed to free it most of the afternoon and evening. After being refloated, the ship, one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s biggest at 1,069 feet, returned to the dock in Puerto Plata where it’s currently located.

The cruise operator will be disembarking passengers over the next few days in Puerto Plata and helping them to get on flights back to Orlando, Florida, it said in a letter to guests posted on social media. 

According to local media reports, it’s currently carrying 3,223 guests and 1,618 crew. Built in 2015, the Norwegian Escape carries a maximum of 4,266 passengers and 1,733 crew. 

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.