Praneeta Prakash 
More than 240 passengers were rescued from the Goundar Shipping Limited vessel, LP VII, which ran aground near Moala Island in the Lau Group yesterday evening.
The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji in a statement says LP VII, carrying 245 passengers and 33 crew members, struck the Cakova Reef near the island.
MSAF has activated its emergency response procedures, coordinating with search and rescue teams to ensure the safety of all onboard the stricken vessel.
It says all 245 passengers have been safely transferred to a second vessel dispatched by Goundar Shipping Limited and that life saving appliances such as life jackets were immediately deployed to passengers after the grounding.
MSAF says the 33 crew members are safely remaining onboard the vessel in preparation of the shipβs salvage off the reef.
MSAF continues to work closely with Goundar Shipping Limited and other search and rescue teams to ensure the crewβs safety during the salvage operation.
It reassures the public that, while the vessel has run aground, there has been no breach of the hull, and no water ingress has been reported.
MSAF has taken immediate steps to ensure that the situation remains under control, and efforts to safely resolve the incident are ongoing and monitoring of the affected marine environment is also a priority.
MSAF will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide further updates as necessary.
Goundar Shipping vessels have been involved in a number of incidents, including groundings and ships running adrift over the last two years.
