It might have been a case of Cry Me a River. Cruise passengers have been forced to spend nights stuck in the middle of a river after their cruise ship unexpectedly found itself trapped in a sandbar.
The American Jazz, a small ship belonging to American Cruise Lines, became completely stuck on the sandbar last week, interrupting its peaceful journey down the Cumberland River.
There were 120 passengers on board and all safely exited the vessel. In other good news, no damage was done to the vessel.
Some crew members have disembarked while others are still on board, but are reportedly comfortable with supplies and have been delivered fresh water.
While this makes the story mostly a relatively positive one, there’s a catch. The ship remains obstinately stuck and at this point, no one seems exactly sure how to get it out.
There is currently a team of divers who have been deployed beneath the surface and tasks with finding a way to get the vessel back afloat.
However, the cruise line has told Spectrum News 1 that the efforts to dislodge the boat are taking longer than expected.
WKDZ Radio are reporting that the current plan of action is a boat with a water jet will come and dredge away the mud, allowing the vessel to continue its trip to Nashville.
John Nolan, the head of the prevention department at the local marine safety unit said: “We had investigators on board yesterday and we are still working with the company to determine how this occurred, but to have a definitive answer we don’t have that at this time.”
“I can assure you the United States Coast Guard and the cruise line are working together to make this process as speedy as possible to get everybody back underway and get the vessel clear and to get the point to their next destination safely.”
American Cruise Lines public relations also provided a statement: “The American Jazz is currently being assisted off a sandbar in Lake Barkley. There is no damage to the small riverboat, and both guests and crew aboard have been informed of the temporary delay. American Cruise Lines is taking all appropriate steps with authorities while local service providers assist the ship. American Jazz is following a seven night Music Cities Cruise from Memphis to Nashville and the cruise is expected to resume with a few adjustments to the normal schedule.”
