At Sea with Doug Newman

You’ve probably heard this already - it’s all over the news - but Majestic America Line’s sternwheeler Empress of the North has run aground in Alaska.

The following is the company’s statement on the incident (updated 3:30 PM PDT):

“Majestic America Line has announced that all of the passengers and crew of Empress of the North have been safely transferred to Juneau following a grounding incident in Southeast Alaska at 1:40 am local time today (May 14, 2007). The passengers and some crew members arrived in Juneau aboard the Alaska state ferry, Columbia, at approximately noon today local time where they were met by company representatives. Passengers will be accommodated locally before boarding homeward flights.

Essential members of the crew stayed aboard Empress of the North, which arrived under her own power in Juneau a short time ago. She is now undergoing a thorough assessment and investigation of the incident.

No injuries were reported during the incident.

Empress of the North was on the second day of a seven day cruise of Alaska’s Inside Passage roundtrip from Juneau that departed on Saturday, May 12.

According to David Giersdorf, President ‘The safety and comfort of our guests is our number one priority. We are continuing to take all measures to ensure that all of their needs are met in as a result of this situation. We are working closely with all regulatory authorities to undertake a full investigation and assess the condition of the vessel.’

‘In addition, we would like to thank the U.S. Coast Guard for their exceptional response and support in this incident We are indeed fortunate that we have such dedicated professionals protecting America’s coastlines and waterways. We also want to express our gratitude to the vessels and crew members who assisted with the transfer of guests off the Empress of the North, as well as the Alaska Marine Highway system for supplying the Columbia and her officers and crew for transporting our guests back to Juneau. The cooperation and support from all parties involved has been exemplary.’”

You can also read the latest from AP here.