yesterday after it grounded in shallow water just over 24 hours after leaving Bermuda. Last night six tugboats were standing by to help free the Royal Majesty which ran aground on a sandy shoal in 11 feet of water 10 miles east of Nantucket Island, near Boston. Coastguard marine safety officers have also started an investigation into the reasons the vessel was in such shallow water when it needs 19.5 feet of water to float. The Royal Majesty , with 989 passengers and 520 crew on board, left Bermuda on Friday bound for Boston.

However, late on Saturday night, the Panamanian-registered vessel ran aground on Crown and Shield Shoal. At first it was hoped to evacuate the passengers onto two ferries charted by the cruise ship's owners, Majesty Cruise Lines, of Miami, but when one ferry drew astern of the ship yesterday afternoon the attempt was aborted due to strong currents. Later the Coastguard scrapped plans to take the passengers off the grounded ship and wait instead to see if it could be re-floated at high tide between 11 p.m. and 11.30 p.m., last night.

A flotilla of six tugs, three Coastguard cutters, two oil-spill clean-up boats and the two ferries were standing by the 32,400-ton ship to help re-float it.

Coastguard spokesman, Petty Officer Mr. Zach Zubricki, said: "The decision was made not to off-load the passengers. The currents and tides and sea itself are such that everyone is safer staying on board.'' It was being stressed last night that no-one on board was in any danger but one passenger, who had apparently undergone lung surgery recently, was airlifted off.

The incident happened exactly five years to the day after another cruise ship, the Bermuda Star , ran aground on rocks in the same area. The Queen Elizabeth 2 damaged its hull when it hit another rocky shoal nearby, in 1992.

Last night, Mr. Manuel Cairo, a reservations clerk for the ship's owners, said the passengers would stay on board during the salvage effort.

Mr. Michael Smith, Majesty Cruise Lines' Senior Vice-President, said: "We have ample provisions on board both in terms of alcoholic beverages and food.'' Although the Coastguard said the ship was not in any danger and the hull had not been ruptured, from the air it could clearly be seen to be listing. They said they were investigating why the ship had grounded.

A spokesman said: "Any time a vessel that large with that many people goes aground we become concerned. I can't confirm she was out of the shipping channels.

"Sometimes these shoals develop after charts are plotted out. They sort of move a little bit,'' added the spokesman.

The ship was sheduled to arrive in Boston at 8 a.m. yesterday, ending the one week cruise, and sail again at 4 p.m. the same day back to Bermuda. Yesterday, Majesty Cruise Lines was trying to notify more than 1,000 new passengers that the ship was late. It is thought she will have to go into dry dock for an inspection and it is not known if another ship will replace her.

One couple from North America, Mrs. Connie Kroner and her husband David, were planning to renew their wedding vows on board the Royal Majesty on their 10th wedding anniversary.

"I'm not ranting or raving, but we bought new rings and we'd arranged for a cake,'' said Mrs. Kroner. "The first time we were married was by a Justice of the Peace with no friends, no family, nothing. This time we were going to do it properly.''