Norwegian Dawn cruise ship runs aground off Bermuda with 3,500 aboard
The cruise ship Norwegian Dawn ran aground in Bermuda on Tuesday after the vessel temporarily lost power and experienced a steering system malfunction shortly after departing King's Wharf.
Everyone aboard the ship -- 2,443 passengers and 1,059 crew -- is safe, and an independent dive team confirmed the ship's structural integrity, Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement.
"With high tide this evening, the ship was floated and moved to a nearby anchorage position where it will remain overnight," the Miami-based company said.
One of the cruise ship's passengers, Rachel Hansen, used Twitter to document the incident shortly after the ship stopped moving.
Norwegian Cruise Line initially said the ship temporarily lost power shortly after departing from Bermuda and "made contact with the channel bed." Later on Tuesday night, it said the ship "had a temporary malfunction of its steering system, causing the ship to sail slightly off course."
The Norwegian Dawn is sailing on a seven-night Boston-to-Bermuda cruise. It was built in 2002 and is 965 feet long, according to the cruise line.
Hansen told Boston's WCVB that she and her family were eating when they felt the ship suddenly stop.
"The cruise captain, I assume, came on over the PA system and ordered a distress call, and a bunch of the crew that were serving us dinner sprinted out," Hansen told WCVB.
The ship will be inspected by the classification society DNVGL before returning to Boston, the cruise line said.
Meanwhile, it said, passengers can continue to access the ship's "full complement of onboard services."
Passengers on previous troubled cruse ships were not so fortunate.
In February 2013, the Carnival Triumph cruise ship was set adrift in the Gulf of Mexico after an engine fire. Although no one was hurt, the ship was stuck at sea for several days with few working bathrooms and only limited power to run elevators and heat food.
In March 2013, the Carnival Dream cruise ship's emergency diesel generator failed, causing problems with elevators and toilets aboard the vessel.
Still, later that same month, Carnival Corp.'s first-quarter earnings were up $37 million, or 5 cents per share.
In trading Tuesday, before the mishap off Bermuda, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ shares climbed $1.81, or 3.3%, to close at $57.30.
RELATED: Cruise lines' fine print limits their liability and your right to sue
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UPDATES
9:52 p.m.: This story has been updated with information about past troubled cruses.
This story was originally published at 9:21 p.m.
