Holland America’s Westerdam anchors up in Juneau about two years ago. (KTOO)
An Alaska-bound cruise ship had to return to Seattle late Saturday after a small fire broke out on board. But it was able to restart its voyage.
No one was injured in the incident.
According to the Coast Guard, the crew of the Holland America cruise ship Westerdam reported a fire in a boiler room around 5 p.m. Saturday. That was about an hour after the cruise ship left its summertime homeport of Seattle for a seven-night Alaska cruise.
Coast Guard petty officer George Degener says tugboats escorted the Westerdam back to its pier with no injuries reported.
“Thankfully, the crew members on board the vessel were able to safely extinguish the fire and they were able to make it back to port on their own,” he says.
Degener says Coast Guard investigators boarded the cruise ship to assess the damage. It resumed sailing after inspection and repairs.
The scheduled route called for stops in Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka and Ketchikan.
Holland America said in the statement that the Westerdam was fully booked with more than 2,800 passengers and crew.
