Cruise ship aground at Coiba heads for Balboa

A CRUISE ship that ran aground near Coiba Island on December 22 was  moved to the Port of Balboa on Monday December 28.

The vesssel, Star Pride, of the luxury cruise line Windstar, ran aground at 6:15 a.m. on Dec. 22 while the crew was maneuvering the vessel to anchor near the island.

“All passengers and crew are safe. All were moved later to Costa Rica,” the company said on its Facebook page.

There were 306 people aboard the ship, including passengers and crew.

Windstar announced that it will return the money to passengers or offer them a future trip.

The Maritime Authority of Panama (AMP) reported that the captain of the vessel notified the Bahamas Maritime Authority, where the vessel is registered, of the accident. That agency then notified the AMP.

The Ministry of the Environment has said the incident has not caused any damage to the protected area reports La Prensa.

A Panamanian company has been contracted to make temporary repairs to the vessel to prevent water entering.