Apia, SAMOA — Strong waves and currents forced a fishing boat to break away from its moorings at the Matautu Wharf and drift towards the shore early Tuesday morning as it ran aground on the shores of Apia Beach.

Motorists and members of the public crowded the seawall to catch a glimpse of the grounded vessel. The fishing ship is owned by a local company, Apia Deep Sea Fishing.

The ship sustained damages mostly on its' hull as it struck rocks about 10 meters from the seawall.

It is believed that there were several workers on board when the incident happened. They said they were lucky that the boat did not capsize and sink.

Samoa Observer reported that this was not the only boat that was wrecked by the strong ocean currents. Yachts tied up near the wharf were also heard colliding with each other around the same time in the morning according to a couple who was among the crowd who went for a morning run and came across the stranded boat. They said they saw the boat being washed towards the seawall before 4 am.

Read more at The Observer