Luxury Cruise Runs Aground in Greenland Arctic With 206 Passengers

Table Of Content

• A luxury cruise ship is pulled free 3 days after running aground in Greenland
• News in language
• Fishing trawler fails to free cruise ship grounded in Greenland with 85 Australians on board
• Sky News Footer
• Luxury cruise ship remains stuck in Greenland as tide fails to help
• Stranded cruise ship the Ocean Explorer freed three days after running aground in Greenland
• Sky News Services

"They can either try to get out on their own help when the tide becomes high, they can get help from a nearby cruise ship, they can get assistance from Knud Rasmussen, or they can get help of one of our collaborators," Jensen said. The Joint Arctic Command said it has asked a nearby cruise ship to remain in the area to provide assistance in case the situation changes. The number of cruise ships around the world’s largest island has jumped 50% in the past year to 600, Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command said by phone. Last year, the Joint Arctic Command did one medical evacuation and so far this year it has done five, he said. The passengers and crew on board number 206, according to the command, and local media in Greenland have reported that about 170 are paying passengers, with rest making up the crew. 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.

A luxury cruise ship is pulled free 3 days after running aground in Greenland

A luxury cruise ship that ran aground this week in a remote part of Greenland with 206 people on board has been pulled free by a fishing trawler. The Ocean Explorer cruise vessel was refloated on Thursday, the Danish navy and ship owner said, after having been stuck since Monday in mud and silt in the Alpefjord national park, some 1,400km (870 miles) northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk. The cruise ship ran aground Monday above the Arctic Circle in Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland National Park, the world's northernmost national park.

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An officer had been on board the ship to carry out “initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board,” it added. Denmark's Danish Maritime Authority have 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. An officer had been on board the ship to carry out "initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board," it added. The Danish Maritime Authority 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. An officer has been on board the ship to carry out "initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board," it said. A cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew onboard has run aground in north-west Greenland, and remained stuck even after high tide.

Luxury cruise ship pulled free three days after getting stranded in Greenland - Euronews

Luxury cruise ship pulled free three days after getting stranded in Greenland.

Posted: Fri, 15 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Fishing trawler fails to free cruise ship grounded in Greenland with 85 Australians on board

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.

Photos shared by Joint Arctic Command on Facebook earlier in the week showed the ship – which is carrying 206 passengers and crew members – on calm water in sunny weather conditions. Officials said there is no evidence the ship had suffered serious damage as a result of the grounding. The Ocean Explorer has been stuck since Monday in mud and silt in the Alpefjord national park, some 1,400 kilometres north-east of Greenland's capital Nuuk, Denmark's armed forces said. Greenland, a semi-sovereign territory of Denmark in the North Atlantic Ocean with a population of 57,000, attracts tourists with its rugged landscape and a vast ice cap that covers much of the island.

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

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.

Luxury cruise ship remains stuck in Greenland as tide fails to help

"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.

Earlier Thursday, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions which has chartered the ship, said that three passengers had COVID-19. "The nearest help is far away, our units are far away, and the weather can be very unfavorable," Jensen said. "However, in this specific situation, we do not see any immediate danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring." The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, including the Arctic Ocean in the north. Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faeroe Islands. "The vessel and its passengers will now be positioned to a port where the vessel’s bottom damages can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a port from which they can be flown back home," the company said.

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.

The Ocean Explorer ship was pulled loose by research vessel Tarajoq, which is run by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command said on Facebook. The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faroe Islands and Greenland, two semi-independent territories that are part of the Danish realm. Danish police have opened a preliminary investigation into the grounding to determine if there was any wrongdoing. “There have not been any injuries to any person onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull,” SunStone said. The Ocean Explorer leaned to the side during the operation and passengers were not allowed to go outside, Ms Hill said.

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.

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 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.

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.