- Luxury Cruise Ship Stranded in Greenland’s Alpefjord Freed by Fishing Vessel
- Passengers to Be Flown Home as Ship Towed to Port for Damage Assessment
- No Injuries, Environmental Contamination, or Hull Breach Reported; Passengers Remain in Good Spirits
The ship, carrying passengers from all over the globe, was freed from mud and silt by a fishing vessel.
A luxury cruise ship that ran aground in northwest Greenland has been liberated.
The Ocean Explorer, carrying 206 passengers, became mired in sludge and silt on Monday in Alpefjord, a national park 1,400 kilometers northeast of the capital of Greenland, Nuuk, according to the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC).
After three unsuccessful attempts to liberate the ship, it was “successfully” freed at high tide by the fishing vessel Tarajoq.
The ship’s proprietor, SunStone Ships, stated that the vessel will be towed to a port for damage assessment, while the passengers will be flown home.
SunStone stated in a statement that there were no injuries to anyone onboard, no contamination of the environment, and no hull breach.
The JAC sent the larger inspection vessel Knud Rasmussen to the scene to arrive Friday evening before the rescue.
Everyone is in a cheerful mood.
The Aurora Expeditions-operated Ocean Explorer departed the Norwegian port of Bronnoysund on September 6, according to tracking data from MarineTraffic.com.
The ship is equipped with 77 cabins, 151 passenger berths, and 99 crew beds.
According to Ulstein, the ship’s builder, there are also multiple restaurants, an infinity pool, and a two-level saloon with a piano bar and panoramic windows at the ship’s bow.
Some of those on board are from Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States, and South Korea, and passengers Steven Fraser and Gina Hill described them as “a lot of wealthy older people.”
The retired Australian couple told the Sydney Morning Herald earlier on Thursday that “everyone is in good spirits.”
Mr. Fraser was quoted as saying, “It’s a bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world.”
Mr. Fraser stated he and several other passengers had COVID-19, but a doctor was on board.
Lisa, another passenger, told CNN that running out of alcohol is her biggest worry, but she was prepared.
She stated, “I took swimming lessons before my arrival, and I am an excellent swimmer.”
“So be on the lookout: I could be swimming back to Iceland.”
Members of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish naval unit responsible for long-range reconnaissance and enforcing Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness, were near the stranded ship.
They visited the ship on Tuesday and reported that everyone was safe and no damage had been reported.
