COPENHAGEN: Denmark’s military Joint Arctic Command said on Thursday that a luxury cruise ship that ran aground off Greenland’s eastern coastline earlier this week has been successfully freed.
The Ocean Explorer – carrying 206 passengers and staff– ran aground in Alpefjord on Monday. The JAC said the cruise had been pulled free by a fishing research boat on Thursday morning.
The ship had failed in several earlier attempts to refloat, raising concerns it would be stuck for days until the arrival of a larger Danish naval vessel, which was enroute to assist.
Earlier, 3 passengers on board were placed in isolation after contracting Covid-19, tour agency Aurora Expeditions, the ship’s operator, said on Thursday. All others aboard were said to be safe and healthy. It said neither the cruise, its passengers, nor the surrounding water had been in risk due to the incident.
The ship’s Florida-based owner SunStone said that Ocean Explorer had been successfully assisted off its grounding by Tarajoq, a Greenland research ship that had been involved in several earlier attempts to refloat the cruise.
Ship’s passengers are safe
SunStone said that there had not been any injuries to any person on board, no pollution of the water environment and no breach of the hull.
The company said it had arranged additional tug help in case it was needed but that it has now stood down on this.
SunStone added that they would like to thank their charterer Aurora Expeditions as well as all their passengers for great cooperation in unexpected and difficult circumstances.
It said that the cruise and its passengers will now be positioned to a port where the ship’s bottom damages can be assessed, and the passengers will be transferred to a port from which they can be flown back home.
