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Passengers to be evacuated after cruise ship runs aground
All 80 passengers aboard the Australian-flagged Coral Adventurer will be flown back to Cairns after the vessel became stuck on a reef off Papua New Guinea's eastern coast on Saturday, operators announced.
Incident details
The ship struck the reef at approximately 05:25 local time after encountering strong sea currents while navigating through Morobe, Madang, and Sepik provinces. Morobe Police Commander Chief Superintendent Samson Siguyaru confirmed the grounding to ABC's Pacific Beat.
The Coral Adventurer developed a six-degree list to its port side but sustained no structural damage, according to Papua New Guinea's National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA). Authorities also reported no environmental pollution or fuel spillage.
Failed refloating attempts
Efforts to free the vessel using its own engines and a tugboat on Sunday proved unsuccessful. A larger tugboat dispatched from Lae, PNG's second-largest city, was expected to attempt a tow on Tuesday, officials said.
A detention notice has been issued, temporarily barring the ship from departing until safety checks are completed, Siguyaru stated.
Passenger evacuation and investigations
Coral Expeditions, the ship's operator, announced on Monday that the voyage would conclude a day early, with passengers flown back to Australia. The company has conducted tours in PNG for nearly two decades, according to its website.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has launched an investigation into the grounding, while the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) detained the vessel over concerns about its seaworthiness following the incident.
Route questioned
Morobe Provincial Governor Rainbo Paita told ABC that the Coral Adventurer took an unusual route, noting that local operators typically avoid the area due to its shallow reefs. Coral Expeditions has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Previous incident
The same vessel was involved in a fatal incident earlier this year when an elderly passenger was left behind on a remote Great Barrier Reef island. Her body was discovered the following day, and an investigation remains ongoing.
