Fishing Vessels aid in resuce of Empress of the North

Hello Fishies!

Now here is some interesting news which some of you may have already heard. Its been all over CNN and FOX news channels as well as the AP and other wire sources. I did happen to catch one of the live interviews with Blake Painter who said his boat had taken 33 passengers, mostly senior citizens, aboard and transported them to safety. If I heard correctly, the F/V Evening Star was the first to respond to the mayday call.

Any bets on if he’ll let DC or Original Productions horn in?

The Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska — A Seattle-based cruise ship ran aground 49 miles west of Juneau near Hanus Reef in Lynn Canal at about 2 a.m. today, the Coast Guard reported, and all passengers were safely taken aboard other vessels.

John Miller, spokesman for Majestic America Line, said all passengers had been evacuated from the Empress of the North and that the ship was on its way back to Juneau under its own power for a damage assessment.

The Coast Guard said sea conditions were calm at the time of the accident.

The vessel sent a distress signal and began listing about 6 degrees after hitting the rocks, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Christopher D. McLaughlin.

Numerous vessels came to the aid of the cruise ship and took passengers aboard.

Passengers were transferred to numerous private vessels, including other cruise ships, and by daybreak those remaining aboard were being taken aboard the Spirit of Columbia, a smaller vessel operated by Cruise West of Seattle, McLaughlin said.

An Alaska state ferry, the Columbia, also has arrived at the scene to pick up stranded cruise ship passengers, according to an official at the Auke Bay Ferry Terminal on the northern outskirts of Juneau.

The Columbia, which can carry 499 passengers and 134 vehicles, is a commuter ferry that travels from several ports including Bellingham, Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg.

"Many Good Samaritan boats on scene are taking off passengers," he said. "The fishing vessels Evening Star and Willow were able to moor up to cruise ship and 33 passengers transferred from the Empress of the North to the Evening Star and 12 passengers to the Willow."

A Coast Guard fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter were dispatched after an emergency radio message was received at 12:35 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time from the ship, operated by Majestic America Line of Seattle, McLaughlin said.

The ship had left Alaska on Saturday and was headed for Juneau at the time of the accident.

There were no reports of injury, nor was there any immediate word on damage, and McLaughlin said the reason for the grounding was unclear.

According to the company's Web site, the Empress of the North is a "newly built" sternwheeler with a 24-hour bar and grill, a crew of 84, 112 staterooms for 223 passengers and "a robust modern diesel propulsion system."

The American-built ship is billed by the company as the only overnight paddlewheel vessel in use on Alaskan cruises and also is used on cruises on the Columbia River between Washington state and Oregon.

The Empress of the North also ran aground in Oregon in 2003 and 2006.

McLaughlin said the Coast Guard's initial report listed the ship as 299 feet long, while the Web site gave the length as 360 feet.

The vessel is styled like a stern-wheel riverboat.

Stay tuned!

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