A cruise released by thousands of tourists in the Dominican Republic

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A cruise ship stranded in the Dominican Republic with thousands of tourists on board was removed “without major setbacks” at the beginning of Tuesday after more than 8 hours of rescue work, according to authorities, that the ship would stay overnight in the port for inspection.

The Norwegian escape, which was stranded on Monday shortly after sailing from a pier in Puerto Plata, about 200 kilometers from Santo Domingo, “could be rescued without major setbacks, and both the tourists and crew on board were safe,” the Navy said on social media.

The Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) stated in a statement that the ship, headed to St. Thomas with about 3,000 passengers and more than 1,600 crew members, was returned to Puerto Plata as “where damage is currently being assessed.”

Port authorities, which are scheduled to continue the route on Tuesday afternoon, reported on Twitter that Norway “has decided that the Norwegian escape remains” in a private port of Taino Bay in Puerto Plata.

“An NLC supervisor is going to the terminal to perform a new on-site inspection and determine the next step.” He added.

Passengers were able to get off the boat and resume tourist activities. Others stayed on board while enjoying bars, restaurants and pools.

The Navy said: “Background inspection of professional divers (...) No malfunctions were detected at the bottom or inside the hull of the seabed.”

The Navy also said it has appointed a committee composed of authorities of maritime, ports and shipping companies to investigate “factors affecting the stranding of cruise ships.”

Dominican Navy Commander Ramón Betances Hernández, Vice President Ramón Betances Hernández, told reporters on Monday that the ship was stranded due to “big winds” that occurred in the afternoon, “about 30 knots” (about 56 km/h-7 out of a dozen on the Beaufort scale).

The boat was built in 2015 to accommodate 4,266 passengers and 1,733 crew members, the tourism company said on its website.

Puerto Plata, located on the northern coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Dominica, is famous for its paradise beaches, which are touted as “Amber Coast” and “Bride of the Atlantic”.

Cruise ships frequently arrive in the Dominican Republic with a population of 10 million people, considering tourism as one of the main sources of income.

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