Passengers on Cruise Ship That Ran Aground off Papua New Guinea to Be Flown Home After Refloat Efforts Fail
The Coral Adventurer cruise ship ran aground on a coral reef approximately 30km from Lae, Papua New Guinea, on Saturday morning. The vessel was carrying 124 people onboard, consisting of 80 passengers and 40 crew members. All passengers were successfully evacuated to Papua New Guinea, with no injuries reported.
A tugboat was dispatched on Sunday in an effort to refloat the ship, but attempts were still unsuccessful as of Monday. Coral Expeditions, the operator, subsequently canceled the voyage and plans to fly all passengers out on a charter flight, with flights to Cairns scheduled as early as Tuesday.
The Papua New Guinea National Maritime Safety Authority reported that the grounding occurred at about 6:57 am local time. The vessel was resting on the reef with a six-degree list to port. Initial inspections indicated no damage to the ship, but further inspections of the hull and the marine environment are planned once the vessel is refloated.
If refloat attempts continue to fail, Coral Expeditions is in discussions with authorities regarding next steps. The Coral Adventurer had departed from Cairns on 18 December for this voyage.
This incident is separate from an unrelated investigation earlier in October involving Coral Expeditions, concerning the death of Suzanne Rees on Lizard Island, where crew members were alleged to have left her behind on an excursion.
