A Norwegian Cruise Line ship is back where it should be — floating in the water.
A day after running aground in Bermuda, the Norwegian Dawn was refloated at high tide, according to the cruise line. By 7 a.m. Wednesday, it had docked at the Atlantic island’s Heritage Wharf, said Jason Lasecki, a spokesman for several cruise lines.
Before it could head back to Boston, Norwegian Cruise Line officers and engineers, along with “an independent dive team” as well as inspectors from the certification and safety organization DNV GL, went aboard Wednesday to undertake “a complete assessment of the vessel,” Lasecki said.
They finished by early afternoon, at which point the vessel was declared good to go.
“The team confirmed the structural integrity of the ship and the technical issue which caused the steering malfunction was identified and corrected,” the cruise line spokesman said.
Runs aground after losing power
The ordeal began Tuesday when the Norwegian Dawn — with 2,675 passengers and 1,062 crew members on board — “temporarily lost power” while leaving Bermuda’s King’s Wharf, said cruise line spokeswoman Vanessa Picariello.
“The ship’s propulsion was affected and … the vessel made contact with the channel bed,” Picariello explained.
Twitter user Rachel Hansen posted photos from the ship.
One shows a tug pulling on the Norwegian Dawn, which is 965 feet long and weighs 92,000 tons.
“An action shot of the tug boat attempting to pull us to freedom, I can see it from my balcony in my cabin,” Hansen tweeted.
With inspectors having weighed in, the Norwegian Dawn was expected to be officially cleared to leave Bermuda by midafternoon. That would mean it should arrive back in the Massachusetts capital by Friday, according to Lasecki, and would be able to leave on its next trip that same day.
Meanwhile, customers on the Norwegian Dawn will have memories forever of an unexpectedly rocky vacation.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience,” Lasecki said, “and greatly appreciate our guests’ understanding.”