AP
The captain wanted to keep the 207-foot ship from sinking, Lt. Chris White said. There were no reports of injuries.
Hyunsoo Leo Kim, Pilotonline.com / AP
Hyunsoo Leo Kim, Pilotonline.com / AP
Hyunsoo Leo Kim, Pilotonline.com / AP
Coast Guard boats attend to a cruise ship Thursday after it ran aground in the Intracoastal Waterway near Virginia Beach, Va. “The situation is pretty serious … but nobody’s life is at risk right now,” said one official.
Two 41-foot Coast Guard boats were transporting the ship’s passengers and crew to a ferry landing about 2 miles away from the rural area off Virginia Beach, Petty Officer Christopher Evanson said.
“The situation is pretty serious … but nobody’s life is at risk right now,” Evanson said.
The cruise ship was lodged in mud about 9 feet below the water’s surface. The ship was only about 100 feet from shore, but the surrounding area is a wooded swamp, Evanson said.
Passengers ate breakfast as they awaited rescue, he said.
The Coast Guard received a report about the ship at about 6 a.m. It wasn’t clear why the ship began taking on water. A Coast Guard helicopter lowered pumps onto the boat to help remove the water.
The boat, The Spirit of Nantucket, was on a 10-day cruise from Alexandria, Va., to Charleston, S.C., Evanson said.
