Hubbard Glacier News

A Norwegian Cruise Line ship has canceled the remainder of its voyage and will return to Seattle after striking an iceberg off the coast of Alaska on Saturday.The Norwegian Sun was transitioning to Hubbard Glacier in Alaska when the ship made contact with a small iceberg. No injuries were reported. The 78,309 GT ship was "engulfed by dense fog, limiting visibility and resulting in the ship making contact with a growler", a Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson told Cruise Hive.A growler is an iceberg less than 6.6 feet across that floats with less than 3.3 feet showing above water, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.Following the incident, the 848-foot ship diverted to Juneau, Alaska, for further assessment.

The Coast Guard is investigating an allision between the 935-ft cruise ship Westerdam and ice in the vicinity of Yakutat Bay Wednesday, May 11. The Westerdam was reportedly maneuvering through ice near Hubbard Glacier Tuesday evening when it sustained damage approximately 15 feet below the waterline. The hull was reportedly not breached and no injuries or pollution were reported. The Westerdam continued on her voyage to Sitka, where she was met by Coast Guard officials.

Holland America Line contributed $357m to the Seattle economy and $481m to Washington state, mostly stemming from the cruise line's Seattle to Alaska itineraries. Holland America Line has added a fourth ship to the Seattle contingent, which will increase the number of sailings from 61 in 2009 to 69 in 2010. Direct spending in 2009 included $73,424,807 by the company in Seattle including $63,704,926 for payroll and $14,248,260 spent by passengers and crew in shops, restaurants, hotels, museums, local sightseeing attractions and taxicabs. Holland America Line's economic impact includes maintaining a corporate headquarters in Seattle, community giving, local payroll, provisioning ships, passenger spending, crew spending, port fees and taxes, and marketing and sales expenditures in Washington.