Celebrity Cruises has confirmed all guests and crew of Celebrity Xpedition are safe after the vessel ran aground on a sandbar in the Galapagos at around 5:40pm on Tuesday afternoon. The 46 passengers and 58 crew onboard the stricken vessel were evacuated following the incident. Celebrity Xpedition was sailings a scheduled itinerary.
Celebrity Cruises’ parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, first revealed that the the vessel had run aground on social media late Tuesday evening (US time), after which time Celebrity Cruises acknowledged that Xpedition was still afloat and safely anchored.
“Our guests are aboard Celebrity Xpedition sister ship, Celebrity Flora, and Celebrity Flora is underway to Baltra, where hotel accommodations and return flights home are being provided.”
“We are grateful no injuries were reported from last night’s incident, and we appreciate those responders who stepped in to provide support to guests and crew,” Celebrity said.
The cruise line said that all Celebrity Xpedition guests will receive a full refund for their sailing and full cruise credits for a future Celebrity vacation.
“We’ve seen no signs of environmental impact and continue to monitor the situation closely. As we assess the condition of Celebrity Xpedition and implement contingency plans, we will keep our guests informed regarding any cancellations or revised itineraries,” the company concluded.
No damage to the ship has been reported since it was refloated. Celebrity Xpedition has now been towed to Italbaca Canal, located between the Baltra and Santa Cruz islands, the Ecuadoran newspaper El Univero. reported.
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