NORWEGIAN Cruise Line has been forced to compensate passengers booked on its six-week-old ship, Norwegian Sky, after the vessel was grounded on a sand bar off the coast of Canada.
The incident, which occurred on September 25, was the second for the company in less than two months. In August, Norwegian Dream collided with a cargo carrier in the English Channel.
Nearly 2,000 passengers, including 149 from the UK, were stranded for 4hrs on Norwegian Sky, which had a hole ripped in its hull. It managed to get to Quebec City, where passengers disembarked, and has gone into dry dock for repair.
NCLexecutive director UK Bill Ellington said passengers will be fully refunded and given a credit, to the value of their cruise, to use on a future itinerary.
Passengers booked on the September 28 cruise on Norwegian Sky, which was cancelled, will also receive a full refund and 50% off another voyage. Agent commissions are protected.
“This latest incident is extremely unfortunate and the last thing we needed, but neither accident has affected our booking patterns,” said Hetherington.
“We have treated our passengers very fairly and despite these two incidents, such accidents are relatively isolated.”