Luxury cruise ship that ran aground in Greenland is freed

A luxury cruise ship – carrying more than 100 Australian holiday-makers – that ran aground off Greenland’s eastern coastline earlier this week has been successfully freed.

The luxury cruise ship that ran aground off Greenland’s eastern coastline earlier this week has been successfully freed after a third rescue attempt, Denmark’s military Joint Arctic Command has confirmed.

The Ocean Explorer, carrying 206 passengers and crew, was pulled free at high tide by a fishing research vessel on Thursday morning local time from where it had become wedged in shallow waters in Alpefjord.

The vessel had failed in two previous attempts to refloat since becoming grounded on Monday, raising concerns it would be stuck until Friday when a larger Danish naval ship was expected to arrive to assist.

The stranded Ocean Explorer cruise ship, which has more than 100 Australians on board, has been successfully freed. Picture: Supplied

Earlier, three passengers on board were placed in isolation after contracting Covid, tour agency Aurora Expeditions, the ship’s operator, confirmed.

All others aboard were said to be healthy and safe.

The ship’s Florida-based owner SunStone confirmed the Ocean Explorer had been successfully assisted off its grounding by Tarajoq, a Greenland research vessel that had attempted several times in the week to refloat it at high tide.

The vessel and its passengers have been taken to a port where it will now be assessed for propeller damage. Passengers are expected to fly home from there.

The 104-metre long, 18-metre wide Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord, in the Northeast Greenland National Park. Picture: Facebook/Joint Arctic Command

There was some panic on board the ship but most passengers, more than 100 of whom are Australian, took the drama in their stride.

Staff had been keeping passengers entertained offering board games and workshops to learn towel origami.

Australian Debbie Brown told CNN that she thought morale on-board was “reasonably good” and seeing the northern lights in the past two nights had been “exciting.”

One passenger joked his only concern was that the bars would run out of booze.

PASSENGERS HAD TO BE ‘CALMED DOWN’

Earlier, anxious passengers on board the stranded The Ocean Explorer had to be “calmed down” after it was revealed they would not be rescued for two more days.

Members of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance in Greenland, visited the ships’ passengers to allay escalating fears.

“They explained the situation which calmed them down as some were anxious,” said Captain Flemming Madsen of the Joint Arctic Command, an operational territorial command of the Danish Defence operating in Greenland.

He said the passengers on the Ocean Explorer were predominantly tourists from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, the United States and South Korea.

The 206 passengers “are in a difficult situation, but given the circumstances, the atmosphere on the ship is good, and everyone on board is doing well,” a statement from the Joint Arctic Command said.

“There are no signs that the ship was seriously damaged by the grounding.”

Compounding matters is the fact that several cases of Covid have been reported on board among the mostly elderly passengers, most of whom are Australian.

Alpefjord is nestled in a remote corner of Greenland, 240km from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which is 1400km from the capital.

The Ocean Explorer was built in 2021 and is owned by Copenhagen SunStone Ships, part of Denmark’s SunStone Group.

The design by Norwegian company Ulstein Ltd incorporates 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 for crew, and several restaurants.

The Joint Arctic Command said there were other ships neighbouring the stranded cruise liner and that officers from Sirius Dog Sled Patrol could reach the site within 90 minutes.

PASSENGERS, CREW ‘SAFE AND WELL’

Australian-based operator Aurora Expeditions entered discussions with Arctic Command, the Danish military unit responsible for protecting Greenland.

The Ocean Explorer got into trouble on Monday in Alpefjord, a dramatic and rugged stretch of Northeast Greenland National Park, and has not been able to free itself, according to a statement from Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC).

“We’re working quickly to solve the issue and a boat is underway. We’re in discussions now about what to do next,” a spokeswoman for Ulstein said.

“Yes, there are more than 100 Australians on board, the ship is carrying 206 passengers in total.”

The ship is undergoing repairs for propeller damage.

“All passengers, the Expedition team and crew on-board are safe and well. Importantly, there is no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel, or the surrounding environment,” an Aurora Expeditions spokeswoman said.

“We are actively engaged in efforts to free the MV Ocean Explorer from its grounding,’ a statement read.

More than 100 of the 206 passengers on board are Australian. Picture: Facebook/Joint Arctic Command

“Our foremost commitment is to ensure the vessel’s recovery without compromising safety,” it said.

“All passengers, the expedition team and crew on board are safe and well.

“We have also secured the support of other vessels in the vicinity should their assistance become necessary.

“As we continue to gather more information and progress in our efforts, we will provide further updates.

Arctic experts have long expected an accident involving a cruise, both in terms of the vast distances involved in any rescue and the limited local health and transport infrastructure.

Cruises to Greenland, Iceland, the Svalbard archipelago off the north coast of Norway and other parts of the Arctic and the Antarctic are become overwhelmingly popular.

In 2019, a larger cruise ship, the Viking Sky, ran into trouble off the west coast of Norway, well below the Arctic Circle, with six rescue helicopters making 30 trips to the vessel.