Passengers taken off grounded cruise ship

NORWALK, Conn., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- All passengers on board a cruise ship that ran aground in Antarctica were transferred Wednesday to a sister ship, the cruise line Quark Expeditions said.

Passengers from the Ocean Nova were transferred to the Clipper Adventurer, also operated by Quark Expeditions, to be carried to Ushuaia, Argentina, the city closest to Antarctica.

The Ocean Nova went aground Tuesday in Marguerite Bay near San Martin, an Argentinian base in Antarctica. The vessel was carrying 106 people, 65 passengers and 41 crew, Quark said.

Divers from a Spanish naval vessel found no visible damage during a preliminary inspection of the Ocean Nova's hull, Patrick Shaw, president of Quark, said. The vessel was expected to float at high tide, with a second inspection performed then.

The grounding occurred on the eighth day of a two-week cruise from South America to Antarctica.