Cruise ship rescues 2 men from remote Pacific island

HONOLULU — The U.S. Coast Guard says a cruise ship rescued two men after their sailboat ran aground on a remote island between Hawaii and Tahiti.

The men reported they were not injured when their ship ran aground near Malden Island in Kirabati (keer-ih-BAHS’).

But their 37-foot vessel, Hina Nui, suffered irreparable damage. The men were sailing from Hawaii’s Lanai island to Taihiti at the time.

One of the sailors called his wife with a satellite phone. She called the Coast Guard late Wednesday.

The Coast Guard contacted the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship, which was about 184 miles away. The ship agreed to divert its course and pick up the men. They were taken to the cruise ship Thursday morning.

The Celebrity Solstice is currently on its way to Hawaii.