A Tender boat from the ms Amsterdam which is operated by Holland America Line got stuck on a reef on Tuesday.
The 62,750 gross ton vessel was calling at Rarotonga in the Cook Islands when the tender boat got stuck. According to local news there were 90 passengers on the boat, as it was transporting them from the ship to the island they got stranded on a reef near the beach.
Bill Murphy from New Jersey, U.S. told the site:
“The tender was coming in. It got right into the passage way and then a wave came and pushed it onto the reef and it got stuck” Once we were stuck on the reef, the waves would come and just push us further onto the reef”
“Originally when we came in, the boat was stuck facing the island, but each wave kept pushing it, causing to turn the opposite way.”
Posted by Cook Islands News on Wednesday, 27 January 2016
When weather conditions got worse crew members from the ms Amsterdam sent water to those passengers stranded in the tender boat. Luckily the boat was near the beach and many people were able to walk or swim to the beach. A tugboat was also called to help get the tender boat off the reef. There were no injuries but Nina Webb from Turama Pacific Destination Management said afternoon tours had been cancelled as a result of the incident.
ms Amsterdam is currently sailing a 115-day Grand World Voyage which will come to an end in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on April 30. The next scheduled port of call is at the Bay of Islands, New Zealand on Monday.
