A luxury expedition ship, the Coral Adventurer, ran aground on a coral reef off Papua New Guinea’s coast, marking another setback for the cruise company, which is still dealing with the aftermath of a passenger’s death.
The incident occurred about 30 miles from Lae on Saturday morning when the ship hit the reef, prompting the crew to alert authorities around 6 a.m.
This 12-night cruise had set sail from Cairns on December 18, with a price tag of $13,280 per person. It seems to be the ship’s first voyage since the tragic death of an 80-year-old passenger last October.
A representative from operator Coral Expeditions reassured news.com.au that “all passengers and crew are safe,” adding that an initial inspection showed no damage to the vessel.
“This incident has been reported to authorities, and we will carry out further inspections of both the ship and the marine environment as standard protocol,” they said.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) confirmed that there were no injuries reported among passengers or crew members.
Officials from the Papua New Guinea Maritime Rescue Coordination Center were onboard and providing assistance during the incident.
The luxury cruiser had entered Papua New Guinea waters on December 20 and had been navigating along the coastline for about a week before the mishap.
The passengers had completed their full journey and were slated to disembark on December 30.
Previously, the Coral Adventurer was in the news following the death of 80-year-old NSW tourist Suzanne Rees, who was found dead on remote Lizard Island back in October.
Interestingly, she wasn’t on the ship and was discovered several hours later on the island.
This tragedy led to several investigations, with AMSA and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland currently looking into the circumstances, and those efforts are still ongoing.
As for the Coral Adventurer, it seems there’s no damage to the vessel at this point, and inspections and refloating efforts are expected to continue.
