Why This Expedition Ship Still Can’t Be Freed Days After Running Aground
Key Aspects:
Different efforts to free Coral Adventurer from a reef in Papua New Guinea have failed.
Guests have been evacuated from the ship and will fly back to Cairns on chartered flights.
There is no timeline for freeing the vessel but local authorities will conduct inspections to ensure her integrity.
Despite multiple different efforts to free Coral Adventurer from the reef she grounded on in Papua New Guinea, the expedition cruise ship remains stuck days after first shuddering to a halt on Saturday, December 27.
Because there is no timeline for the ship to be successfully freed, guests onboard will now be flown back to Cairns on chartered flights while the authorities of Papua New Guinea have detained the vessel due to potential damage from the reef strike.
According to 7 News, Coral Adventurer has listed approximately six degrees to port following the grounding. This does not appear to be impacting operations on the vessel, but it could potentially create additional complications for refloating the ship.
First, the ship’s own engines were used in conjunction with tidal schedules to attempt to loosen and refloat the vessel.
“After an unsuccessful attempt to manoeuvre the ship off the reef using its propulsion at high tide on 27 December, the ship’s operator engaged a towage provider to assist with refloating it,” the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) confirmed.
Unfortunately, that towing operation was also unsuccessful and Coral Adventurer remains grounded as of Tuesday, December 30, the day the ship was to have debarked in Cairns at the end of the 12-night cruise.
The 80 guests onboard the stranded ship include passengers from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Israel. The guests will now be evacuated with smaller boats to Lae, the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea, which is approximately 60 miles west of the ship’s location.
Read Also: What Is an Expedition Cruise?
From Lae, guests will be flown back to Cairns via chartered flights. No injuries have been reported and onboard operations have not been impacted.
Sky News Australia has also reported that Coral Adventurer is now detained by Papua New Guinean authorities, as the vessel may not be considered seaworthy following the grounding.
Further inspections and review of safety procedures will undoubtedly be necessary before Coral Adventure could resume sailing, though there is no indication of how long such inspections and reviews may take or when the ship may be freed.
How Did the Ship Run Aground?
Coral Adventurer is stuck at Dreghafen Point between Nussing Island and Kumbam Island, an area known for having trickier waters and higher reefs than many mariners may be accustomed to. In fact, local fishermen often avoid the area because of those dangers.
It is unknown why Coral Adventurer chose that exact route along the eastern coast of Papua New Guinea, but strong currents did contribute to the ship’s grounding.
The exact draft of the ship, her balance in the water, and the composition and shape of submerged reefs would all play a part in the severe mishap.
Expedition ships often venture into more remote regions than larger vessels, but at the same time they can also be more susceptible to strong winds, unusual currents, and other navigational hazards.
What Will Happen to Coral Adventurer?
At this time, it is unknown exactly what will happen to the troubled cruise ship. It will still be necessary to free the vessel, but exactly how and when that may be done will depend on whether or not any marine contamination is present, if the ship’s hull has been damaged, and what resources are available to assist.
Once freed, the ship will undoubtedly be rigorously inspected and go through various safety checks to be sure she is seaworthy. If necessary, repairs or modifications may be made to ensure such an incident does not happen again.
Because Coral Expeditions, and specifically Coral Adventurer, has had such a difficult time in the past few months (the ship inadvertently left an elderly guest behind on Lizard Island, and she tragically died before she could be found), it is possible some hard decisions may be made about the ship’s future.
The 5,536-gross-ton ship was built in Vietnam in 2019 and is homeported from Cairns, offering unique and immersive expedition itineraries around Australia and the South Pacific.
Why This Expedition Ship Still Can’t Be Freed Days After Running Aground