A sightseeing boat, the Baranof Wind, began to flood after hitting rocks in the icy waters of Glacier Bay, Alaska.
Holland America’s Volendam, a 1,432 passenger cruise ship, was the closest ship in the area and rescued 76 passengers/crew members when the ship began to take on water.
David Mosley of the Coast Guard said that all of the passengers and some of the crew were transferred to the Volendam. Four crew members of the Baranof Wind did stay behind to keep pumping water from the boat to keep it from sinking. A Coast Guard helicopter was also dispatched to the scene.
There were reports of some minor injuries and two were taken to a National Park Service ship.
The catamaran, which was on an eight hour cruise, can accommodate up to 149 people. Among the tour highlights advertised on the company’s website were snow-capped mountains, bears, rare birds, eagles, seals, sea lions, whales, and spectacular wildlife.
The 61,000 ton Volendam is currently on a 7 night round trip cruise to Alaska from Vancouver, Canada. The ship has scheduled stops in the ports of Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and Ketchikan, Alaska.
Glacier Bay is located at the northern part of Alaska’s Inside Passage. It is a popular tourist destination in the summer months and is known for its scenery and marine life. It contains 3.2 million acres of wilderness ecosystem and was designated a World Heritage Site in 1992.
