Cruise ship runs aground on island where ‘Cast Away’ filmed

A cruise ship made an unscheduled extended stop at a Fiji island that became famous for a volleyball.

The luxury ship MV Fiji Princess was stuck near an uninhabited island where the Tom Hanks and his volleyball buddy Wilson film “Cast Away” was shot.

Thirty passengers and 31 crew members were on the ship near Monuriki when it was grounded, according ot the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji.

All passengers and 17 crew members were transferred from the ship and taken to Port Denarau. The remaining crew stayed on the ship to help with the MSAF’s response, but were not allowed to sleep on it; instead, they stayed on the sister ship, the Cougar.

Crews also removed fuel from the Princess and work to recover the ship will start once weather and sea conditions allow, the MSAF said.

The company that operates the Princess, Blue Lagoon Cruises, told The Associated Press 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.”

Blue Lagoon promotes an overnight stop at Monuriki and a “visit to the film location of Cast Away.”

In addition to the Hanks’ film, the island was also the site for several seasons of the reality television series “Survivor,” The New York Times reported.