CroisiEurope’s La Belle Des Oceans Cruise Ship Runs Aground in Thailand, Next Sailing Canceled

(UPDATED: 6:25 a.m. EST) – CroisiEurope’s Asia-based La Belle Des Oceans ran aground on Sunday, November 24, off Thailand's Phi Phi Island as it sailed towards Phuket.

The current sailing, which was due to depart today, November 26, has been canceled due to damage caused to the ship's hull. It is not yet known if the next sailing will go ahead.

All 77 passengers, plus the ship's crew, are accounted for and no injuries have been reported.

The incident occurred at the end of the sailing, with passengers due to spend a final night onboard the ship, but instead CroisiEurope arranged for them to stay in a hotel in Phuket. CroisiEurope will be offering passengers compensation, though the line has not confirmed what this will be yet.

In a statement, the line said: “Following Sunday’s incident, the crew made sure the safety of the passengers was carried out under the required safety regulations and it all went smoothly. The passengers were not affected.

“After a few hours without moving, the ship was able to carry on cruising to Phuket and disembark the 77 passengers on board.

“The disembarkation went perfectly smoothly, under the best possible conditions and the situation is under control.”

La Belle Des Oceans debuted for CroisiEurope in October 2019, joining La Belle de l’Adriatique in CroisiEurope’s ocean fleet.

This is the second time this month that a cruise ship has ran aground, with Celebrity Xpedition running around in the Galapagos Islands with 46 passengers onboard on November 5.