Passengers removed from stranded River Rouge

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This article was published 30/09/2011 (5093 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – Two dozen passengers were rescued off the disabled River Rouge cruise ship this afternoon.

The iconic blue-and-white passenger boat apparently had engine problems, and at 5 p.m. was tied to a tree on the west shore of the Red River, about a block east of the Bridge Drive-In.

Passengers said they were on the ship for about three hours before the crew called for help and they were taken to shore by water rescue personnel.  No passengers were in danger.

They were taken by bus back to the River Rouge’s dock.

“The crew was unable to fix a hydraulic problem for more than an hour,” said Winnipeg Fire Department district chief Bruce Duncan.

“We’re taking passengers off now and, if the crew can’t fix the problem, we’ll have to take them off because we can’t leave the crew on overnight.”

While the water rescue of the passengers went off without a hitch this afternoon, as it turns out it might not have been needed.

Just minutes after the final passenger stepped on shore and was taken to a Winnipeg Transit bus back to the ship’s dock, the ship was fixed and was last seen steaming northbound on the Red River at 5:15 p.m., on its way back to its dock.

This is the second time in two years passengers have been stranded on the pleasure boat. It was stuck on the Red River in less than two feet of water for a week in July 2010, after it ran aground on its way to Lower Fort Garry.  In that case, dozens of passengers were stranded for hours.