Cruise Ship Hits Unmapped Rock off Canada, Passengers Evacuated

The Canadian coast guard ferried passengers and crew off the Clipper Adventurer after the expedition cruise ship ran aground on an unmapped rock in the Canadian Arctic.

Adventure Canada, which operates the ship, says the incident occurred off Nunavut, as the ship was en-route from Port Epworth to the small town of Kugluktuk, in the Arctic Ocean.

"At the time, the seas were calm, sunny conditions and good visibility with no wind or swell," the company says in a statement.

Matthew Swan, owner of Adventure Canada, tells CNN, the Clipper Adventurer was steaming along "and very abruptly the ship stopped and we found our self perched on a rock."

Crew tried to dislodge the vessel at high tide. When that failed the coast guard came in with the icebreaker, Amundsen.

The cruise ship had 128 passengers and 69 crew members onboard. Those evacuated were taken to Kugluktuk. No one was injured in the incident.

Adventure Canada says everyone was "safe and in good spirits," adding that passengers continued to "enjoy programming and hospitality," before disembarking the ship, which was listing slightly. They were flown home via Edmonton.

Passengers who arrived in Kugluktuk to join the ship, meanwhile, were met with news their cruise was a no go.

Among them were authors Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson. Atwood tells CNN she plans to rebook the cruise for next year.

The cruises are popular with those looking to see whales and other wildlife.



Photo, despod, flickr