
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, June 11, 1990                   TAG: 9006110054
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WOODS HOLE, MASS.                                LENGTH: Short

CRUISE SHIP HITS ROCKS; NO ONE HURT

Hundreds of passengers had to be ferried ashore Sunday after their cruise ship ran aground in heavy fog and began taking on water, but no injuries were reported.

The 617-foot Bermuda Star had two holes in its hull after it slammed into submerged rocks about two miles from this village seaport on the southwestern tip of Cape Cod, Coast Guard officials said.

None of the 680 passengers or 380 crew members was ever in danger, said Coast Guard Lt. Peter Keane. "There was no panic on board," Keane said.

Passengers, luggage and much of the crew were taken by commercial ferries across Buzzard's Bay to New Bedford.

Scott Graham, a Coast Guard marine safety officer in Providence, R.I., said the ship was three hours ahead of schedule and off course when it ran aground in the morning.

Tugboats freed the ship from the rocks at 9:10 p.m., and it was anchored in Buzzard's Bay, where divers patched up the hull holes, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Dan Vineski.

Vinesky said moving the ship did not appear to worsen a fuel spill. Graham said earlier that booms were used to contain an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 gallons of fuel that spilled from the ship's engine area and workers used absorbent material to soak it up.

The accident canceled the cruise, but was considered relatively minor. "This is a kind of fender-bender for the marine world," Coast Guard Petty Officer Greg Creedon said.

The ship's captain, whom he declined to identify, and other crew members took blood and alcohol tests routinely required after accidents, Vineski said. He said results were expected today.

by CNB