MONA LISA runs aground!

[Aplmac]

RIGA, Latvia (AP) -- A stranded cruise ship off Latvia with nearly 1,000 people on board

will be evacuated Monday, the country's coast guard said.

The Mona Lisa ran aground on a sandbank off the coast of Latvia.

 

 

 

 

The Mona Lisa's captain had agreed to evacuate the ship

after unsuccessful efforts to free it from a sand bank off Latvia's coast

coast guard officer Ruslans Kulesovs said.

The coast guard will evacuate passengers and crew onto two naval ships

which will then sail to Ventspils, a port city in northwestern Latvia, Kulesovs said.

He could not say how long the evacuation would take

nor could he specify how many crew would remain on board the Bahamas-registered vessel.

 

Mona Lisa was on its way from Kiel, Germany, to Riga with 984 people on board

when it ran aground early Sunday on a sand bank about 17 kilometers (10 miles) from the Latvian coast, officials said.

The cause of the accident has not been determined.

 

Coast guard officials said the ship was not damaged and the passengers, mostly Germans, were safe and not at risk.

Once in Ventspils, the passengers will be shuttled to Riga

some 160 kilometers (100 miles) to the east.

The Mona Lisa is a luxury cruise liner that went into service in 1966.

 

 

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Source...

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/eu...rss_topstories

 

 

pix,too...at...

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,551413,00.html

[Druke I]

She's a lovely ship.

 

We sailed her as Sea Princess, under the Princess flag, 5-89, Osaka Japan to Vancouver BC via Honolulu.

 

http://www.maritimematters.com has an interesting photo essay (by Peter Knego) on her under her several different names.

[CathyK2]

My daughter will be on this ship in Sept when it changes back over to the Scholarship at Sea program for 5 months. Does anyone have an update on if they have gotten the ship unstuck or any current information regarding the ship?

 

Cathy

[Druke I]

Both http://www.maritimematters.com and http://www.cruisenewsdaily.com are reporting that Mona Lisa has been pulled off the sandbar - no damage, no oil spill.

[CathyK2]

Thank you Druke. Does that mean they are continuing with their usual summer itenary without needing to take a break? I understand this is the third time this has happened to this ship. Any news on what causes this to keep happening?

 

Cathy

[Johnny No.5]

I used to work on the ship in the 1980's when she was called MV Sea Princess. I was a member of the ship's company for almost ten years and in that time she only ever ran aground once.

 

It was largely thought that on that occasion, coming into the Southampton at the end of a cruise during the early hours of the morning, that the culprit was an officer of the watch who had been drinking.

 

Apart from that one incident, I don't remember any other times that she ran aground so they must have occurred after I left.

 

That was very much an isolated incident however. I always felt that she was a very safe ship and I was never worried about my safety onboard, even in the roughest of seas.

 

I heard that she will be cruising in South America in the spring. According to http://www.salship.se/news.asp she will be "...making cruises along the coast of South America during the spring of 2009, and in northern Europe during the summer."

 

Does anyone know who will be operating these cruises or how I can book one?

 

Thanks,

 

John

[Druke I]

She had "tipped" a propeller, Mar or Apr 0f 89, while in the Far East, and shortly before we boarded her in Kobe Japan, May 89.

 

This caused a slight reduction in speed, and we skipped a port call in Lahaina Maui to keep our arrival in Vancouver BC on schedule.

[Host Sharon]

I believe she has run aground quite a few times in recent years. Just as well she was built in the days of "real" ships, with good thick hulls. Two of my friends remember her fondly as Victoria, under the P&O flag.