Cruise Ship Runs Aground in Detroit River

On Saturday night, a cruise ship ran aground on the Detroit River with 120 passengers onboard.

According to U.S. Coast Guard officials, the 216-foot Yorktown ran aground at about 8:15 p.m. in U.S. waters near Wyandotte and Fighting Island, a Canadian island. No injuries were reported and the ship was not taking on water, reports the Detroit Free Press.

It is still unclear as to how the incident occurred. Based on a brief, initial investigation, nearby buoys were still in place. The Coast Guard sent a 45-foot response boat to the scene. A commercial towing company was also arrived on scene immediately following the grounding.

Local reports claim that the cruise ship was expected to leave for Cleveland sometime today. The tugboat towed the Yorktown back to the Renaissance Center overnight and officials have cleared it to head to Cleveland.

An investigation has been launched, including drug and alcohol testing of the bridge crew and a check of the engineering system on to see if there are any mechanical failures or related issues that may have caused the vessel to ground.

The ship plans to conduct dive operations to make sure the hull wasn’t damaged before it heads to Cleveland and then Quebec City.

Renovated in 2009, the Yorktown was built in Florida in 1988 specifically for coastal cruising. Certified by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Yorktown flies the American flag and is staffed by American officers and crew.

257 feet long, 43 feet wide, with a draft of 8 feet, the Yorktown is able to maneuver in secluded waterways and visit small ports that are inaccessible to larger vessels. And Yorktown's American registry makes it possible to operate domestic itineraries unavailable to foreign-flag ships. [Source: http://www.greatlakescruising.com]