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30 passengers evacuate after cruise ship runs aground on a reef in Fiji

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Thirty passengers were evacuated from a cruise ship that ran aground on a reef in Fiji, the ship’s owner said Monday.

The MV Fiji Princess, operated by Blue Lagoon Cruises, ran aground Saturday near Monuriki Island, scene of the 2000 movie starring Tom Hanks “ Cast Away,” the Fiji-based tourism company said in a statement.

“Whilst the investigation is in its early stages, conditions upon the ship anchoring in the area were calm, and it appears a severe squall caused the ship’s anchor to drag towards a nearby reef whereby the ship became grounded,” the statement said.

A ferry was brought alongside the 55.52-meter (182-foot) ship at first light on Sunday and 30 passengers disembarked with their luggage and belongings. No one was injured.

The passengers were taken to Denarau Island.

Blue Lagoon Cruises said pumpable fuel as well as other oils stored onboard the ship had been removed by Monday, diminishing environmental risks.

A salvage specialist from Australia had been on the scene since Sunday overseeing recovery efforts, the statement said.

The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji, an industry regulator, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

By WTOP Staff
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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