Celebrity Xpedition cruise liner runs aground during Galapagos trip

[Jason]

The operators of Celebrity Cruises say there are no reported injuries after the Celebrity Xpedition ship ran aground on Tuesday evening.  The smaller cruise liner, which was carrying 46 passengers and 58 crew members, was sailing in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands when the incident occurred.  “Early this evening, Celebrity Xpedition ran aground while sailing her regular itinerary in the Galapagos,” said Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which owns Celebrity Cruises, in a statement shared to Twitter.

“All guests and crew are safe, and we have no reported injuries.” The cruise company said the ship’s 46 guests and “non-essential crew” were evacuated to another vessel as a “precautionary measure,” and that passengers were “being picked up by her sister ship, Celebrity Flora.”

The Celebrity Xpedition is being evaluated. Royal Caribbean said it was unaware of any adverse environmental impacts caused by the incident.

On Wednesday, Celebrity Cruises confirmed that all guests of the Celebrity Xpedition were aboard the Celebrity Flora and en route to Baltra, an island of Ecuador, “where hotel accommodations and return flights home are being provided.”  

“We are grateful no injuries were reported from last night’s incident, and we appreciate those responders who stepped in to provide support to guests and crew,” the company wrote. In addition, Celebrity Cruises confirmed that all affected guests are being offered full refunds and a credit toward a future Celebrity Cruises excursion. As of Wednesday, the Celebrity Xpedition was “afloat and safely at anchor,” the cruise line wrote.

Celebrity Cruises operates more than a dozen ships. The Celebrity Xpedition is one of the smaller ships in the company’s fleet, with a capacity of only 48 guests.

By Michael Bartiromo, Fox News
Re-posted on CruiseCrazies.com - Cruise News, Articles, Forums, Packing List, Ship Tracker, and more
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