Passengers Rescued From Grounded Cruise Ship

Published Aug 6, 2004 12:01 AM by The Maritime Executive

The accident that occurred last Saturday night punctured the 344-foot Clipper Odyssey's forward fuel tank and forced 153 people to abandon the ship. There were no reports of injuries. The Coast Guard said about 4,999 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from the ruptured tank, as did some waste water. Swift currents dispersed the spilled fluid before it could be cleaned up. Fishing boats and a freighter in the area carried the Clipper Odyssey's 122 passengers and 31 crew members to safety at Unalaska, about 807 miles west of Anchorage. The cruise ship was refloated with the tide early on Sunday. The Clipper Odyssey was headed west along the Aleutian chain when the accident occurred. The ship takes passengers on cruises lasting a week or more for tours of seal and bird rookeries in the islands. A preliminary investigation indicated that the ship was going about five knots when it hit uncharted rocks between two islands, said Doug Bolnick, a spokesman for Clipper Cruise Line, the St. Louis company that operates the tour. The vessel was on the seventh day of a twelve-day tour, Mr Bolnick said.