Hundreds Stranded As Cruise Ship Flees Hawaii Tsunami

Above, the coastline near Hilo on the Big Island. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Russian earthquake wreaked havoc with cruise lines in Hawaii Tuesday.

A tsunami warning was issued and cruise ships left Hawaiian ports, most notably Hilo Harbor, on the Big Island stranding passengers for several hours.

According to Beat of Hawaii:

As sirens blared across Hawaii on Tuesday afternoon and evening, one of the most dramatic scenes unfolded quietly on the Big Island in Hilo Harbor. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America was forced to abandon port hours ahead of schedule due to tsunami evacuation orders. In the rush to leave, more than 300 passengers and crew members were left behind, many of whom were stranded without transportation, a place to go, or any clear sense of what would come next.

The decision to leave the port abruptly was driven by protocol. Following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, tsunami alerts were issued for Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. The U.S. Coast Guard ordered vessels out of Hawaii’s ports for safety, and NCL complied.

But timing proved difficult. With sirens already sounding and traffic completely snarled across the Big Island and the entire state, hundreds of Pride of America passengers were unable to get back to the ship before it departed port. 

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