June 7, 2002 – The St. John-based ferry Venture Pride, which went aground in St. Thomas's Gregerie East area during a fueling run on Thursday, was expected to be back in service late Friday.
A Coast Guard official said an investigation is under way into the circumstances of the vessel's grounding.
According to Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Scott Howell, the incident was "very minor … They just had to get a diver to make sure they didn't have any major damage or any punctures to the hull."
The vessel is part of the fleet owned by Varlack Ventures of St. John. Operations manager Delrise Varlack said Friday that the Venture Pride had discharged its passengers at the St. Thomas waterfront and was en route to fill its fuel tanks, with one of its most experienced masters at the wheel.
The accident occurred off the landfill behind Addelita Cancryn Junior High School. Smaller vessels in the area responded and tried to assist by pushing the Venture Pride off the grounding spot. The tour boat Island Girl finally was able to free the ferry.
The grounding was the fourth marine mishap involving a local commuter vessel in the last 18 months. Most recently, in April, a Tortola ferry owned by Native Son Inc. ran aground on Johnson's Reef. The National Park Service said that incident resulted in damage to a protected coral reef.
Howell said no environmental damage was caused Thursday. He declined to comment on the investigation into the incident.

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