View larger image Passengers are evacuated from the Empress of the North as seen in this image made available by the United States Coast Guard.

Passengers OK after Alaskan cruise ship evacuated

Updated Mon. May. 14 2007 9:51 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A cruise ship carrying 281 people was successfully evacuated after it ran aground off the coast of Alaska Monday.

"All passengers have been transferred to an Alaskan ferry headed back to Juneau," U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Barry Lane told CTV Newsnet. "The Empress of the North itself is in coast guard escort back to Juneau."

The riverboat-style ship's 29 crew members remained on board the vessel to assist in its return, and the vessel arrived in Juneau by Monday afternoon.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

"The Lord really took care of us, the water was calm and there wasn't any wind," said one passenger. "And the staff, although some of them may have been inexperienced, they worked like pros."

The accident, which occurred around 2 a.m. local time, happened at the southern end of the Icy Strait, about 25 kilometres southwest of Juneau.

Lane said he didn't know what the 109-metre Empress of the North collided with.

"It was hard enough that it did penetrate the first level of its hull," he said. "They were taking on some water through that gash in the hull which made the boat list."

A commercial tug and barge and about six other vessels -- including fishing boats and other cruise ships -- assisted in rescuing the passengers.

The ship, operated by Seattle-based Majestic America Line, has 112 staterooms and a three-storey paddlewheel. It also has galleries featuring artwork from Russia and North America, including Faberge eggs and Native American masks.

Dan Miller, a company spokesperson, said the ship was never considered to be in any serious danger by the captain.

"While we did take on some water, that was quickly stopped," he said by phone from Seattle.

"All of our pumps were engaged and the water pumped out."

The grounding occurred on the second day of a seven-day cruise. The American-built ship, which is billed by the company as the only overnight paddlewheel vessel in use on Alaska cruises, is also used on cruises on the Columbia River between Washington state and Oregon.

In October 2003, the vessel hit a navigation lock on the Snake River in Washington. It had also run aground at least twice before Monday: once on the Columbia River after struggling with steering problems, and another time on a sandbar near Washougal, Wash., as the crew tried to avoid a barge.

With a report by CTV British Columbia's Keri Adams and files from The Associated Press