Cruise ship stuck in Greenland with over 200 people onboard

Table Of Content

• MORE: Rescue efforts underway for luxury cruise ship that ran aground in Greenland
• Cruise ship runs aground in Greenland with 206 passengers onboard
• Cruise ship runs aground in Greenland; over 200 people trapped with help days away
• The unexpected link between imperiled whales and Greenland's melting ice
• A luxury cruise ship is pulled free 3 days after running aground in Greenland

A fishing trawler's attempt to free a luxury cruise ship that ran aground two days ago in a remote part of Greenland has failed, leaving the vessel and 206 people on board still stranded. A luxury cruise ship that was stuck in a remote part of Greenland for three days after running aground with 206 people on board has been pulled free by a fishing trawler. A luxury cruise ship carrying more than 200 people — primarily Australians — is stuck in remote northeastern Greenland after two failed attempts to free it from the muddy seabed. A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 passengers — primarily Australians — has run aground in remote northeastern Greenland, with the closest vessel available to help with rescue efforts only expected to reach the scene on Friday. Denmark’s Danish Maritime Authority has asked police in Greenland to investigate why the ship ran aground and whether any laws had been violated, a police statement said, adding that no one has been charged or arrested.

MORE: Rescue efforts underway for luxury cruise ship that ran aground in Greenland

Cruise ship stuck in Greenland with over 200 passengers and crew onboard - NBC News

Cruise ship stuck in Greenland with over 200 passengers and crew onboard.

Posted: Wed, 13 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The park is nearly the size of France and Spain combined, and approximately 80% is covered by an ice sheet. Alpefjord is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which is nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the country's capital, Nuuk. COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer was successfully pulled free on Thursday, three days after running aground in Greenland with 206 people on board, authorities and the ship's owner said. A couple of people on board the ship have tested positive for Covid-19 and have isolated, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing passengers at the ship. LONDON -- A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people has been pulled free days after it got stuck off the coast of Greenland, authorities said.

Cruise ship runs aground in Greenland with 206 passengers onboard

Alpefjord sits about 149 miles away from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which itself is nearly 870 miles from the country's capital, Nuuk. “The crew and passengers are in a difficult situation, but given the circumstances, the atmosphere on the ship is good and everyone on board is doing well,” the Joint Arctic Command said in its statement, citing reports from the Sirius troops. The Ocean Explorer became stuck at about noon on Monday in the Alpefjord, roughly 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) northeast of Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, said Brian Jensen of the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command. The Ocean Explorer will be taken to a port to assess any damage, while the passengers will be flown home, said SunStone. The Joint Arctic Command confirmed that the ship had been pulled free by the Tarajoq, a trawler and research vessel that made a failed attempt to do so on Wednesday.

Cruise ship runs aground in Greenland; over 200 people trapped with help days away

"There have not been any injuries to any person onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull," SunStone said in a statement. The SunStone Maritime Group, which chartered Aurora Expeditions for the trip, said in a statement that no one was injured during the incident. The JAC said it remained in contact with nearby ships to see whether they would be able to help free the Ocean Explorer. The nearest ship to the Ocean Explorer, the inspection vessel Knud Rasmussen, was dispatched to assist but likely won’t arrive until Friday at the earliest, assuming the weather holds up.

The closest vessel available to help with rescue efforts is only expected to reach the scene on Friday. "We are waiting on the relevant authorities for advice regarding our next steps," the company said in an emailed statement. Authorities have been in contact with another cruise ship in the area and it had been asked to remain nearby to assist should the situation develop. "The crew and passengers are in a difficult situation, but under the circumstances the atmosphere on the ship is good and everyone on board is doing well," the JAC said. The Bahamas-flagged cruise ship leaned to the side during the operation and passengers were not allowed to go outside, Hill said.

The owner also had "arranged additional tug assistance in case it was needed, however, this has now been canceled." "We are actively engaged in efforts to free the MV Ocean Explorer, from its grounding," the representative said. Brian Jensen, the head of operations for the Joint Arctic Command, said in the statement that the situation "is of course worrisome." Members of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol - a Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance and enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness - were in the vicinity of the stranded ship.

The Greenland Institute of Nature's research ship Tarajoq, which unsuccessfully tried to free the cruise ship Wednesday, managed to pull the Ocean Explorer free, the Joint Arctic Command said. The Ocean Explorer became stuck Monday in Alpefjord — a remote area of Northeast Greenland National Park that’s rife with icebergs and glaciers — Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command said in a statement. Denmark's military Joint Arctic Command said the ship was finally pulled free by a fishing research vessel on Thursday.

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The Danish military's Joint Arctic Command confirmed that the ship had been pulled free by the Tarajoq, a trawler and research vessel that made a failed attempt to do so a day earlier. According to the Joint Arctic Command's statement on Tuesday morning, their closest ship, the inspection vessel Knud Rasmussen, is approximately 1,200 nautical miles away from the Ocean Explorer. The cruise ship is now sailing to a port maintained by Maritime Accident Investigation Board for further inspection, the Joint Arctic Command said.

Lisa, another passenger, told CNN that her biggest fear at the moment is running out of alcohol, but if the worst did happen, she had a back-up plan. Mr Fraser said he was one of a number of passengers who had tested positive for COVID, but there is a doctor on board. Before the rescue, the JAC had sent its larger inspection vessel, Knud Rasmussen, to the site, which was expected to arrive on Friday evening. Cmdr. Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command told Greenland broadcaster KNR that the ship is likely to go to Iceland, the closest place with large ports.

The ship was freed by a fisheries research vessel at high tide, said the cruise ship's owner, Copenhagen-based SunStone Ships and the Arctic Command, which had been coordinating the operation. SunStone Ships, the vessel's owner, said the ship will be taken to a port to assess any damage, while the passengers will be flown home. The ship, which has passengers from around the world on board, was pulled free from mud and silt by a fishing vessel. The Bahamas-flagged cruise ship has passengers from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. It has an inverted bow, shaped like the one on a submarine, 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew, and several restaurants.

In neighboring Iceland, the coast guard is on standby with a vessel if needed, local authorities said. An expedition cruise ship that got stuck in a remote part of Greenland with hundreds of people on board was freed Thursday. The large trawler sought to pull the cruise ship free during high tide, but the attempt ultimately failed, the Danish military's Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said in a statement. It said the cruise ship and its passengers will now travel to a port where the damage to the vessel's bottom can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a location from where they can be flown home. There was no immediate comment from the tour company that organized the trip, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions. Many feared the cruise ship could have been stuck for days after several failed attempts to refloat while waiting for a large Danish naval ship to come help, according to CNN.

The ship ran aground on Monday while touring the Alpefjord national park, some 1,400 km (870 miles) northeast of Greenland's capital Nuuk, where the nearest rescue vessel is still days away. A passenger on board the stuck luxury cruise ship in Greenland told CNN that her biggest fear while stranded for days was that they would run out of alcohol on board. The Ocean Explorer - which has 206 passengers on board - got stuck in mud and silt on Monday in Alpefjord, a national park 870 miles (1,400km) northeast of Greenland's capital Nuuk, the Danish military's Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said. The Ocean Explorer cruise vessel had been stuck for three days in mud and silt in the Alpefjord national park, some 1,400 kilometres north-east of Greenland's capital Nuuk. Dozens of cruise ships sail along Greenland's coast every year so passengers can admire the picturesque mountainous landscape, waterways packed with icebergs of different sizes and glaciers jutting out into the sea. Troops from Denmark’s Arctic Special Forces elite unit Sirius, which patrols the vast area by dog sled, have now visited the ship and confirmed that all passengers are safe, Denmark’s military’s Joint Arctic Command said on Wednesday.

The Joint Arctic Command has also told another cruise ship in the vicinity of the Ocean Explorer to stay in the area in case the situation escalates. A Danish naval ship already at sea off the coast of southwest Greenland has been diverted and should reach the area by Friday morning. The passengers and crew “are in a difficult situation, but given the circumstances, the atmosphere on the ship is good, and everyone onboard is doing well,” the Arctic Command said. On Wednesday, the Joint Arctic Command said an attempt by a fishing boat to pull the cruise ship off the ground at high tide had failed. "We also sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding of our passengers during this process. We remain committed to assisting them as the situation progresses." The grounded cruise ship might also get free on its own when the tide is high, Greenland television KNR reported.

There are few hydrological surveys of the area where the cruise ship ran aground, making it difficult to assess the sea depths. The Ocean Explorer will be taken to a port to assess any damage, while the passengers will be flown home, said SunStone Maritime Group, which owns the vessel. A representative for Aurora Expeditions, the cruise ship's operator, told Insider that everyone on board the vessel was safe and well.