Norwegian Escape is being inspected for damage after spending several hours trapped at Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

The ship ran aground yesterday as it was trying to leave the Caribbean port with thousands of passengers onboard.

Tugs spent several hours trying to free Escape from the channel bed, without success.

However, the ship – which is one of the biggest in the NCL fleet – was refloated after midnight, according to local news reports.

It is understood there are more than 3,200 passenger and 1,600 crew onboard the ship, which was due to sail from the Dominican Republic to St Thomas in the Virgin Islands. However, it remains in Puerto Plata while being examined for damage.