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MELBOURNE, Australia — <\/span>Thirty passengers were evacuated from a cruise ship that ran aground on a reef in Fiji<\/a>, the ship\u2019s owner said Monday.<\/p>\n The MV Fiji Princess, operated by Blue Lagoon Cruises, ran aground Saturday near Monuriki Island, scene of the 2000 movie starring Tom Hanks<\/a> \u201c Cast Away<\/a>,\u201d the Fiji-based tourism company said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cWhilst 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\u2019s anchor to drag towards a nearby reef whereby the ship became grounded,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n A ferry was brought alongside the 55.52-meter (182-foot) ship at first light on Sunday and 30 passengers disembarked with their luggage and belongings. No one was injured.<\/p>\n The passengers were taken to Denarau Island.<\/p>\n Blue Lagoon Cruises said pumpable fuel as well as other oils stored onboard the ship had been removed by Monday, diminishing environmental risks.<\/p>\n A salvage specialist from Australia had been on the scene since Sunday overseeing recovery efforts, the statement said.<\/p>\n The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji, an industry regulator, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n