On Saturday, April 4, 2026, the MV Fiji Princess ran aground near Monuriki Island in Fiji, where the movie Cast Away featuring Tom Hanks was filmed.

According to local news, all 61 people on board were rescued, including 30 passengers and 31 crew members. Some crew members initially remained onboard to support the rescue operations and assess the damage.

Blue Lagoon Cruises, which operates the small luxury Fiji Princess ship, told ABC News in a statement, “Whilst the investigation is in its early stages, 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 nearby reef whereby the ship became grounded.”

The statement appears to downplay the severity of the weather. The Fiji Meteorological Service issued a nationwide heavy rain alert on April 4 stating, “Rain is expected to spread across all divisions.” The poor weather has since continued into the week and underwater inspections on the ship have been delayed due to rough sea conditions as of April 6.

Blue Lagoon Cruises advertises “flexible cruising” on their website which states, “we’re prepared to alter our itineraries, for weather-related reasons or when an exciting opportunity arises.” No reports indicate that Blue Lagoon Cruises altered the itinerary of the Fiji Princess.

Preliminary reports indicate substantial damage to the vessel’s port side of the stern, steering system, and sections of the hull below the waterline. Local news states that no crew members are staying on the ship overnight due to the ship’s condition. The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) deployed oil response equipment as a precaution, although no damage to the fuel tanks has been detected.

Passengers’ right to compensation appear limited based on Blue Lagoon Cruises’ Terms and Conditions set forth in the passenger ticket. The contract has a Force Majeure clause that states “Blue Lagoon Cruises shall not be liable or responsible for any failure or delay in performance, including failure to provide services, arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control” and continues “In such events, no refunds will be available; however, guests will be offered the opportunity to transfer to a future cruise departure.” The contract further states that it “is subject to and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of Fiji, and the guest agrees to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of that country.”