Passengers on an Australian cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Papua New Guinea will fly out of the country on a charter flight after efforts to refloat the vessel failed.
The Coral Adventurer struck a reef on Saturday, two months after the death of a passenger allegedly left behind by the company on a Great Barrier Reef island.
About 120 people, including 80 passengers, were aboard the Cairns-based ship when it struck the coral reef about 90 kilometres from Lae, PNG’s second-largest city and the capital of Morobe Province.
7News reported that 80 passengers from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Israel are aboard.
The province’s governor told the ABC the Coral Adventurer ran aground while using a route known for its “high reef”.
Local authorities said attempts to free the vessel were unsuccessful, and the ship’s operator, Coral Expeditions, announced on Monday it would end the tour a day before its scheduled finish and fly passengers to Australia.
It is understood they will likely fly to Cairns on a date still to be determined.
A spokesperson for the company said there were no injuries to passengers or the 43 crew.
“To date, initial inspections indicate no damage to the vessel, with further comprehensive inspections of the hull and marine environment to be conducted as standard procedure once the vessel is refloated,” they said.
Governor says locals avoid ‘very high’ reef
Local police told the ABC’s Pacific Beat the ship was transiting through Morobe, Madang and Sepik provinces and passing Dregerhafen Point at 5.30am local time when it hit strong sea currents and ran aground.
Morobe Provincial Police Commander Chief Superintendent Samson Siguyaru said a tugboat was unable to pull the cruise ship from the reef on Sunday.
Morobe’s provincial governor, Rainbo Paita, said the Coral Adventurer took a route not usually taken by local operators.
“Local boat operators know the reef is very high there,” he said.
The ABC approached Coral Expeditions, but it declined to respond to Paita’s comments.
Paita said the provincial administration was staying in contact with the Australian High Commission and the cruise operator about the incident.
“We are on stand-by in any way they need us to help in removing the boat,” he said.
The Coral Adventurer has been under investigation after the death of 80-year-old tourist Suzanne Rees on the Great Barrier Reef’s Lizard Island in October.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority officers and a Coral Expeditions representative boarded the ship’s tender in October to investigate her death.
Rees was found dead on the island on Sunday, October 26, after starting an escorted hike to the island’s lookout the previous day.
Her family said they were told she felt unwell and turned back without anyone to assist her.
Witnesses report that the Coral Adventurer left the island on the evening of Saturday, October 25, before returning late that night to conduct a search after Rees was found to be missing.
Coral Expeditions later cancelled a 60-day voyage following Rees’s death and mechanical problems.
– ABC
By Gillian Aeria, Hilda Wayne and Doug Dingwall, ABC
