Cruise Ship Runs Aground Weeks After Passenger Left Behind on Remote Island
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Coral Adventurer ran aground just east of Papua New Guinea early on Saturday, December 27.
More than 120 guests and crew members are aboard but there are no injuries reported.
This is the ship’s first sailing since a guest was left behind on Lizard Island and died while hiking.
It’s been rough sailing for Coral Adventurer for the past few weeks. Now the ship has run aground off the east coast of Papua New Guinea at Dreghafen Point between Nussing Island and Kumbam Island, approximately 60 miles from the city of Lae, the country’s second-largest city.
According to Nine News, Coral Adventurer had departed Cairns, Australia on a 12-night sailing on Thursday, December 18 and has been cruising along the coast of Papua New Guinea.
On Saturday morning, December 27, the ship ran aground just before 6 a.m. Local authorities were alerted to the situation and measures are being taken to safely refloat the ship, including planning around tidal schedules for natural assistance.
There are reportedly 80 passengers and 44 crew members aboard the 5,536-gross-ton ship. Authorities and the cruise line have confirmed there are no injuries at this time.
“All passengers and crew are safe,” a spokesperson for Coral Expeditions told news media.
Strong currents appear to have contributed to the grounding. As the ship is refloated, the hull will be thoroughly inspected to ensure there is no damage or other potential safety risks.
“An initial inspection indicates no damage to the vessel,” Coral Expeditions said. “The incident has been reported to authorities and will undergo further official inspections to the hull and marine environment as a standard procedure.”
This will include inspections for any fuel leakage or other spills as well as any damage to nearby coral reefs.
Read Also: What Is an Expedition Cruise?
There is no confirmed timeline for when the ship may be able to resume her itinerary. Coral Adventurer was due to return to Cairns for debarkation on Tuesday, December 30.
If the ship cannot be successfully freed in time to return to her homeport as planned, alternative arrangements may need to be made for guests to head home. It is also possible that additional voyages will be impacted if repairs are necessary.
Incident Follows Earlier Passenger Death on Lizard Island
This latest problem for Coral Adventurer follows the distressing incident of an elderly guest left behind on Lizard Island in late October.
The 80-year-old woman, Suzanne Rees, had been sailing aboard Coral Adventurer as a solo traveler and joined a group hike at the first port visit on what was to have been a 60-night cruise. She separated from the group to rest, but never returned to the ship before it departed.
Once she was reported missing, the cruise ship returned to Lizard Island and search efforts commenced. She was found deceased significantly off the hiking trail.
The cruise had planned to circumnavigate Australia and visit a total of 48 ports for the immersive voyage. Just days after Rees’ death, however, the rest of the sailing was cancelled and guests were flown home on chartered flights.
The decision to cancel the sailing was due to the cruise line believing it could not offer the type of high-quality experience guests had expected from the expedition cruise line.
“It was increasingly apparent, given the circumstances of the last week, that we could not deliver on this promise,” said Mark Fifield, CEO of Coral Expeditions, when confirming the cancellation.
The December 18 departure is the ship’s first sailing following the previous cancellation.
How Can Cruise Ships Run Aground?
While grounding incidents are not common, they do happen, particularly with expedition ships that may venture closer to shore in less well-known waters.
Submerged reefs, shifting sandbars, and changes in local currents can all cause navigational challenges that might lead to grounding. Furthermore, smaller ships may be more susceptible to strong winds or other weather-related influences.
While expedition cruise ships can often visit more remote locations, it is exactly because those locations are less frequently visited that the intricacies of their waters and coastlines may be less well known.
In September 2023, the small expedition ship Ocean Explorer ran aground in a remote fjord in eastern Greenland with 206 guests and crew members aboard. In that incident, the ship was stuck for three days before it was freed during high tide.
Cruise Ship Runs Aground Weeks After Passenger Left Behind on Remote Island