Cruise ship denizens got a taste of the “Cast Away” life when they were stranded near the island that served as the setting for the 2000 Tom Hanks film.
The MV Fiji Princess, a small luxury liner that is part of the Blue Lagoon fleet, was carrying 30 passengers and 31 crew members when it ran aground in the wee hours of Saturday morning at a reef near the uninhabited island of Monuriki.
The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji reported that the Princess was severely damaged and was taking on water when it ran aground.
In a statement, Blue Lagoon Cruises said the grounding was due to adverse weather, specifically a “severe squall.”
“Whilst it is very early in the investigation, 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 reef, whereby it became grounded,” the cruise line said.
Following the maritime mishap, passengers and non-essential crew were transported to safety with Blue Lagoon reporting they “disembarked the ship with their luggage and personal belongings in an orderly manner” and rode a “large fast ferry” back to Port Denarau on Fiji’s mainland.
“No guests or crew were injured, and many were thankful to Blue Lagoon Cruises for our response,” the cruise line said.
Passengers were put up in hotels in the port city, a timelier, gentler rescue than that which befell Hanks’ character Chuck Noland.
In the film, Noland survives a cargo plane crash, only to be stranded on a deserted island for four years, with only his wits to keep him alive and a volleyball to keep him company.
In the movie, Noland makes tools from apparently useless products of civilization that have washed up on the beach. At one point, he cannibalizes a videotape to make a rope.
While running aground was not part of the charted course, a pit stop on Cast Away Island is a staple part of Blue Lagoon’s cruise programming.
Blue Lagoon markets 3-7 day Fiji cruises, with certain sails including an overnight stop in Monuriki and a “visit to the film location of Cast Away.”
A well-known and traversed destination, local companies routinely offer “Cast Away” themed tours of the island.
In addition to serving as a film location for “Cast Away,” the island has more recently served as the backdrop for the popular television series “Survivor,” which has been filmed there since 2016.
Monuriki is part of a volcanic archipelago known as the Mamanuca Islands. This island chain is renowned for its staggering beauty, dive sites, marine life, and vulnerable reefs.
While no passengers or crew were harmed, the Maritime Safety Authority mobilized to contain the thousands of liters of diesel fuel aboard the vessel to prevent pollution, particularly leaking fuel that could damage the surrounding reefs and marine environment.
On Monday, the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji reported that the fuel transfer operation from the vessel was successfully completed.
According to the agency, approximately 23,000 liters of fuel were removed from the vessel.
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