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

The Associated Press

The Ocean Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew, which had run aground in northwestern Greenland, is pictured on Tuesday SIRIUS/Joint Arctic Command/AP hide caption

The Ocean Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew, which had run aground in northwestern Greenland, is pictured on Tuesday

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer was successfully pulled free on Thursday, three days after running aground in Greenland with 206 people on board, authorities and the ship's owner 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 Joint Arctic Command, which coordinated the operation.

"There have not been any injuries to anybody onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull," SunStone Ships said in a statement. The research vessel which pulled the cruise ship belongs to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, a government agency, it said.

It said the cruise ship and its passengers will now travel to a port where the damage to the vessel's bottom can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a location from where they can be flown home. There was no immediate comment from the tour company that organized the trip, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions.

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The cruise ship ran aground Monday above the Arctic Circle in Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland National Park, the world's northernmost national park. The park is nearly the size of France and Spain combined, and approximately 80% is covered by an ice sheet. Alpefjord is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which is nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the country's capital, Nuuk.

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.

Earlier Thursday, Aurora Expeditions said three passengers had COVID-19.

"These passengers are currently in isolation. They are looked after by our onboard doctor, medical team and crew, and they are doing well," it said in a statement. Others on the MV Ocean Explorer are "safe and healthy," it said.

Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald quoted a retiree from Australia who is on the ship, Steven Fraser, as saying: "Everyone's in good spirits. It's a little bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world."

Fraser told the newspaper that he had come down with COVID-19 on the ship.

Cmdr. Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command told Greenland broadcaster KNR that the ship is likely to go to Iceland, the closest place with large ports.

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"Now it is exciting to find out what the condition of the ship is," Jensen was quoted as saying by KNR. "They are in the process of investigating whether the ship is intact and seaworthy and ready to sail on."

The ship's owner said several other vessels had rushed to the scene "and offered their assistance, which however, was not needed." It said it had also "arranged additional tug assistance in case it was needed, however, this has now been canceled."

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.

Danish broadcaster DR said there were 400 cruises in Greenland in 2022 and 600 cruises in 2023.

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.

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The cruise liner began its current trip on Sept. 2 in Kirkenes in Arctic Norway and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 22, according to SunStone Ships.

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.

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Luxury cruise ship that ran aground in Greenland is freed after three days

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The luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer was “successfully” pulled free in Greenland on Thursday, three days after running aground with 206 people on board, authorities and the ship’s owner 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 Danish Joint Arctic Command, which had been coordinating the operation .

“There have not been any injuries to anybody on board, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull,” SunStone Ships said in a statement. The research vessel that pulled the cruise ship belongs to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, a government agency, it said.

It said the cruise ship and its passengers will travel to a port where the damage to the vessel’s bottom can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a location from where they can be flown home. There was no immediate comment from the tour company that organized the trip, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions.

The cruise ship ran aground above the Arctic Circle on Monday in Alpefjord, which is in Northeast Greenland National Park. The park encompasses almost as much land as France and Spain combined, and about 80% is permanently covered by an ice sheet . Alpefjord sits about 150 miles away from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which itself is nearly 870 miles from the country’s capital, Nuuk.

The Bahamas-flagged cruise ship has passengers from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Britain and the U.S. It has an inverted bow, shaped like the one on a submarine. It has 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew, and several restaurants.

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Earlier Thursday, Aurora Expeditions said that three passengers had COVID-19.

“These passengers are currently in isolation. They are looked after by our onboard doctor, medical team and crew, and they are doing well,” Aurora Expeditions said in a statement. The others on the MV Ocean Explorer are “safe and healthy,” it added.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted a retired Australian couple, Steven Fraser and Gina Hill, as saying there were “a lot of wealthy older people” on board.

“Everyone’s in good spirits. It’s a little bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world,” Fraser told the paper, adding that he himself had come down with COVID-19 on the ship.

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Cmdr. Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command told Greenland broadcaster KNR that the ship is likely to go to Iceland, the closest place with large ports.

“Now it is exciting to find out what the condition of the ship is,“ Jensen was quoted as saying by KNR. “They are in the process of investigating whether the ship is intact and seaworthy and ready to sail on.”

The ship’s owner said several other vessels had rushed to the scene “and offered their assistance, which, however, was not needed.” It said it had also “arranged additional tug assistance in case it was needed — however, this has now been canceled.”

Dozens of cruise ships sail along Greenland’s coast every year for passengers to admire the picturesque, sometimes-barren mountainous landscape, with fjords and waterways packed with icebergs of different sizes and glaciers jutting out into the sea.

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Danish broadcaster DR said that there were 400 cruises in Greenland in 2022 and 600 cruises in 2023.

The Danish Maritime Authority asked police in Greenland to investigate why the ship ran aground and whether any laws had been violated. So far, no one has been charged or arrested. According to the daily, citing a police statement, an officer had been on board the cruise ship to carry out “initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board.”

The cruise liner began its latest trip Sept. 2 in Kirkenes, in Arctic Norway, and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 22, according to SunStone Ships.

The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faroe 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 Faroe Islands.

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Luxury cruise ship that ran aground near Greenland is freed after 4 days

A Danish luxury cruise ship was successfully pulled free Thursday morning after it ran aground near Greenland during low tide, stranding passengers for four days, authorities said.

The Ocean Explorer was pulled free from the East Greenland Fjord by a fisheries research vessel, the ship's owner SunStone Maritime Group said in a statement .

"There have not been any injuries to any person onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull," SunStone Maritime Group said.

The Ocean Explorer, on a luxury cruise through the Arctic, ran aground on Monday with 206 passengers and crew on board.

Joint Arctic Command Commander Brian Jensen said the Danish Navy believed the ship was stuck in mud and sand.

"Luckily it’s not a rock that could have caused greater damage to the ship," Jensen said, according to a NBC News translation. "It’s kind of stuck and will be more difficult to get free."

Danish authorities attempted to tow the vessel several times before it was freed Thursday. SunStone Maritime Group added it had requested additional tug assistance, but the assistance had been canceled.

While the ship was grounded, three passengers tested positive for Covid-19, cruise company Aurora Expeditions said. The patients were in isolation and doing well, according to the company.

Australian passengers Gina Hill and Steven Fraser told The Sydney Morning Herald they were among the passengers who had been stranded on the ship.

Fraser told the Herald he was one of the passengers with Covid, and added there was a doctor on the ship.

"It's a little bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world," he said. "We're sitting right near the glacier when we open our window."

The Ocean Explorer will be taken to a port where the ship's "bottom damages can be assessed," SunStone Maritime Group said, adding the vessel's passengers will be "taken to a port from which they can be flown back home."

Anna Kaplan is a news and trending reporter for TODAY.com.

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A Luxury Cruise Ship, Stuck Off Greenland’s Coast for 3 Days, Is Pulled Free

The Ocean Explorer had been traveling toward Northeast Greenland National Park when it ran aground on Monday, officials said. The ship was pulled free on Thursday.

By Eduardo Medina

A luxury cruise ship that had been stuck for three days after running aground off the coast of Greenland was pulled free on Thursday morning, the authorities said.

The ship, the Ocean Explorer, had been carrying 206 passengers and crew members and was headed toward Alpefjord, in a remote corner of Greenland. The ship’s destination was the Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s northernmost national park, which is home to icebergs, glaciers and high mountains.

The Joint Arctic Command, which is part of Denmark’s defense forces, and SunStone Maritime Group , the coordinators of the rescue operation, said in statements on Thursday that the ship had been pulled free by a vessel named Tarajoq.

There were no reported injuries on board the ship, and there was no threat to the environment. The ship’s operator, Aurora Expeditions, a cruise company based in Australia, said in a statement on Thursday that “all onboard are safe” and that it appreciated “the patience and understanding of our passengers during this process.”

“We are waiting on the relevant authorities for advice regarding our next steps,” the company said.

The rescue came after an unsuccessful attempt on Wednesday, in which a fishing research vessel owned by the government of Greenland tried and failed to pull free the Ocean Explorer at high tide. Bad weather also slowed the government’s rescue operations, officials said.

Before the ship was freed, the Joint Arctic Command had said that “the crew and passengers are in a difficult situation, but after the circumstances, the atmosphere on the ship is good and everyone on board is fine.”

It was unclear what caused the ship to run aground near Greenland, which is part of Denmark but has autonomy over most domestic affairs. Officials said there were no indications that the ship had suffered serious damage to its foundation.

Cruises around Greenland have become increasingly popular with tourists seeking adventure and comfort aboard ships packed with amenities.The Ocean Explorer, built in 2021, was made to “travel to the world’s most remote destinations,” according to Aurora Expeditions’ website .

Prices for a 17-day expedition that tours Greenland start at more than $15,000 per person. The ship has a gym, a Jacuzzi and spacious suites that are 640 square feet, offering guests two large master bathrooms, one master bedroom and expansive views of the sea .

Photos of the stuck Ocean Explorer on Wednesday showed a blue-and-white ship floating in waters with frosted mountain peaks in the distance.

Extreme cold did not appear to be a major issue for stranded passengers on Wednesday: The temperature in the area was around 2.2 degrees Celsius, or about 36 degrees Fahrenheit, that night.

Jenny Gross contributed reporting.

Eduardo Medina is a reporter covering breaking news. More about Eduardo Medina

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Luxury cruise ship that ran aground in Greenland with over 200 people on board is freed

By Li Cohen

Updated on: September 14, 2023 / 8:37 PM EDT / CBS News

Officials said the expedition cruise ship that ran aground in northeast Greenland earlier this week with more than 200 people on board wouldn't be able to be rescued until Friday morning at the earliest – but help came early. On Thursday morning, the Joint Arctic Command said that it has been freed.

"Ocean Explorer has been pulled free this morning by the Natural Institute's fishing research ship TARAJOQ," the command said on Facebook Thursday morning, according to a translation. This was the fishing research ship's second attempt at freeing the vessel, the first of which occurred on Wednesday during high tide, but was unsuccessful. 

Ocean Explorer has been touted as a cruise ship "purpose-built for expedition travel to the world's most remote destinations." On the expedition website, it's been described as having "cutting-edge technology" and heralded for its "navigation capabilities." According to Aurora Expeditions, who is using the ship for its excursion, the Ocean Explorer is meant to accommodate 134 passengers with "state-of-the-art amenities." 

Then on Tuesday, with 206 people on board, the ship got stuck in Alpefjord, which is part of the the world's largest national park – the Northeast Greenland National Park. Officials were not concerned about any risk from the incident and said that while it is "worrisome," there was no "acute danger to human life or the environment."

No further information about the condition of those on board has been revealed upon the news of the ship's freedom from the area. 

• Cruise Ship

Li Cohen is a senior social media producer at CBS News. She previously wrote for amNewYork and The Seminole Tribune. She mainly covers climate, environmental and weather news.

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Luxury cruise ship pulled free days after getting stuck off Greenland's coast, authorities say

Previous attempts to free the stranded ship were unsuccessful.

LONDON -- A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people has been pulled free days after it got stuck off the coast of Greenland, authorities said.

The Joint Arctic Command, which is part of Denmark’s defense forces, announced in a social media post on Thursday that the ship, named the Ocean Explorer, was finally pulled free at high tide in Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.

MORE: Rescue efforts underway for luxury cruise ship that ran aground in Greenland

The 343-foot long and 60-foot wide vessel, which is operated by Australia-based cruise company Aurora Expeditions, was traveling toward a remote corner of Greenland on Monday when it ran aground above the Arctic Circle near Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park, the northernmost national park in the world.

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.

"We’re really happy that it went so well and that the passengers and crew of the ship can now see an end to the difficult situation they’ve been in for the last few days," Commander Captain Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command, said in a statement.

The cruise ship is now sailing to a port maintained by Maritime Accident Investigation Board for further inspection, the Joint Arctic Command said.

The SunStone Maritime Group, which chartered Aurora Expeditions for the trip, said in a statement that no one was injured during the incident. There was "no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull," the statement said.

"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.

Previous attempts to free the stranded ship on Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful.

It was unclear why the vessel ran aground, and the incident will remain under investigation, officials said.

ABC News' Jon Haworth, Will Gretsky and Emma Ogao contributed to this report.

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Arctic cruise ship charging $33,000 a ticket runs aground in Greenland leaving hundreds of passengers stranded

The ‘nearest help is far away’, according to rescue team, article bookmarked.

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A luxury cruise ship was finally freed on Thursday after leaving more than 200 passengers stranded in the Arctic after their ship ran aground earlier this week.

Aurora Expeditions’ 104-metre-long Ocean Explorer vessel became stuck in the remote area of Greenland on Monday (11 September) afternoon, with the earliest rescue not possible until Friday (15 September). But that rescue came a day earlier than expected.

“We are pleased to confirm that the MV Ocean Explorer has been successfully freed from its grounding in Alpefjord, Greenland, on Thursday 14 September 2023, with the help of the TARAJOQ vessel,” Aurora Expeditions wrote in a statement.

“All onboard are safe and there is no damage to the environment. We are waiting on the relevant authorities for advice regarding our next steps. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the management and team of the TARAJOQ vessel, for assisting us during this challenging time, and our team who have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and comfort of our passengers,” the statement added.

“On Monday afternoon West Greenlandic time, the Arctic Command received a message that the cruise ship Ocean Explorer was grounded in the Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland, and that the ship is not immediately able to be freed by its own help,” Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said in a statement .

There are currently 206 passengers onboard. Aurora Expeditions offers polar cruises — tickets for which range in cost from $14,000 to $33,000, according to its website .

“The nearest help is far away,” said Brian Jensen, the head of operations for the JAC, calling the situation “worrisome”.

“Our units are far away, and the weather can be very unfavorable,” he said. “However, in this specific situation, we do not see any immediate danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring.”

He added: “Of course, we are following the situation closely and take this incident very seriously.”

The closest ship able to perform a rescue, the inspection vessel Knud Rasmussen, is approximately 1,200 nautical miles away, and the earliest it could get to the Ocean Explorer is Friday morning, according to the JAC.

“We are actively engaged in efforts to free the MV Ocean Explorer, from its grounding,” an Aurora Expeditions spokesperson said. “Our foremost commitment is to ensure the vessel’s recovery without compromising safety.”

They confirmed all passengers are currently safe and well.

A military flight over the ship has found the hull intact, Bloomberg reported.

The JAC has asked another nearby cruise ship to stay in the vicinity in case the situation changes.

Mr Jensen ran through the rescue scenarios: “They can either try to get out on their own 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.”

However, in a subsequent statement , the JAC said: “Arctic Command has been in contact with the cruise ship Ocean Explorer, which has stated that they are still grounded in the National Park. This means that the tide, which came during the day local time, did not provide the desired help to sail on.”

The vessel’s captain reportedly waited for the high tide at midnight to help the ship float but the mixture of sediment, sand and silt left by a nearby glacier made it difficult to break.

The ship waited for the next high tide but that attempt was rendered unsuccessful on Tuesday.

The JAC added: “There is still no report that human life or the environment is in acute danger.”

Completed in 2021, the Ocean Explorer can accommodate up to 134 passengers and offers trips to “some of the most wild and remote destinations on the planet”, Aurora Expeditions says on its website.

Adding insult to injury, Covid-19 cases are now circulating among passengers. Despite the ongoing issues, some onboard are remaining optimistic.

According to a statement from Aurora Expeditions sent to The Independent , there are “three passengers with confirmed cases of COVID-19 on board. These passengers are currently in isolation. They are looked after by our onboard doctor, medical team and crew, and they are doing well. All other passengers, Expedition team and crew remain safe and healthy.”

That includes Steven Fraser, a passenger from Australia who is traveling with his wife, who has tested positive for the virus while onboard. He told the Sydney Morning Herald : “Everyone’s in good spirits. It’s a little bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world. We’re sitting right near the glacier when we open our window.”

“We do have a couple of cases of Covid, but there’s a doctor on board ... a lot of people on board are quite elderly,” Mr Fraser added. “It’s a cruise that a lot of wealthy older people do because they can get out into these wilderness areas.”

Mr Fraser’s wife, Gina Hill, said that she and fellow passengers are being entertained by the crew’s stories of expeditions. “No one seems to be afraid, and they’re giving us updates quite regularly,” Ms Hill told The Guardian .

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Stranded luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer is pulled free at high tide in Greenland

Greenland ship aground.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer was successfully pulled free on Thursday, three days after running aground in Greenland with 206 people on board, authorities and the ship's owner 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 Joint Arctic Command, which coordinated the operation.

"There have not been any injuries to anybody onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull,” SunStone Ships said in a statement. The research vessel which pulled the cruise ship belongs to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, a government agency, it said.

It said the cruise ship and its passengers will now travel to a port where the damage to the vessel’s bottom can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a location from where they can be flown home. There was no immediate comment from the tour company that organized the trip, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions.

The cruise ship ran aground Monday above the Arctic Circle in Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s northernmost national park. The park is nearly the size of France and Spain combined, and approximately 80% is covered by an ice sheet . Alpefjord is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which is nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the country’s capital, Nuuk.

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.

Earlier Thursday, Aurora Expeditions said three passengers had COVID-19.

“These passengers are currently in isolation. They are looked after by our onboard doctor, medical team and crew, and they are doing well,” it said in a statement. Others on the MV Ocean Explorer are “safe and healthy,” it said.

Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald quoted a retiree from Australia who is on the ship, Steven Fraser, as saying: “Everyone’s in good spirits. It’s a little bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world.”

Fraser told the newspaper that he had come down with COVID-19 on the ship.

Cmdr. Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command told Greenland broadcaster KNR that the ship is likely to go to Iceland, the closest place with large ports.

“Now it is exciting to find out what the condition of the ship is,“ Jensen was quoted as saying by KNR. “They are in the process of investigating whether the ship is intact and seaworthy and ready to sail on.”

The ship's owner said several other vessels had rushed to the scene “and offered their assistance, which however, was not needed.” It said it had also “arranged additional tug assistance in case it was needed, however, this has now been canceled.”

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.

Danish broadcaster DR said there were 400 cruises in Greenland in 2022 and 600 cruises in 2023.

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.

The cruise liner began its current trip on Sept. 2 in Kirkenes in Arctic Norway and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 22, according to SunStone Ships.

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.

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Luxury cruise ship stranded in Greenland with Covid-positive passengers is finally pulled free

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer was successfully pulled free on Thursday, three days after running aground in Greenland with 206 people on board, authorities and the ship’s owner 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 Joint Arctic Command, which coordinated the operation.

“There have not been any injuries to anybody onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull,” SunStone Ships said in a statement. The research vessel which pulled the cruise ship belongs to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, a government agency, it said.

It said the cruise ship and its passengers will now travel to a port where the damage to the vessel’s bottom can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a location from where they can be flown home. There was no immediate comment from the tour company that organized the trip, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions.

The cruise ship ran aground Monday above the Arctic Circle  in Alpefjord  in Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s northernmost national park. The park is nearly the size of France and Spain combined, and approximately 80% is covered by  an ice sheet . Alpefjord is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which is nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the country’s capital, Nuuk.

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.

Earlier Thursday, Aurora Expeditions said three passengers had Covid-19.

“These passengers are currently in isolation. They are looked after by our onboard doctor, medical team and crew, and they are doing well,” it said in a statement. Others on the MV Ocean Explorer are “safe and healthy,” it said.

Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald quoted a retiree from Australia who is on the ship, Steven Fraser, as saying: “Everyone’s in good spirits. It’s a little bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world.”

Fraser told the newspaper that he had come down with Covid-19 on the ship.

Cmdr. Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command told Greenland broadcaster KNR that the ship is likely to go to Iceland, the closest place with large ports.

“Now it is exciting to find out what the condition of the ship is,“ Jensen was quoted as saying by KNR. “They are in the process of investigating whether the ship is intact and seaworthy and ready to sail on.”

The ship’s owner said several other vessels had rushed to the scene “and offered their assistance, which however, was not needed.” It said it had also “arranged additional tug assistance in case it was needed, however, this has now been canceled.”

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.

Danish broadcaster DR said there were 400 cruises in Greenland in 2022 and 600 cruises in 2023.

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.

The cruise liner began its current trip on Sept. 2 in Kirkenes in Arctic Norway and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 22, according to SunStone Ships.

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 Associated Press

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Luxury Cruise Ship Carrying 206 People Runs Aground in Remote Greenland

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people has run aground in remote eastern Greenland with the nearest help by sea days away, the Danish military's Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said on Tuesday.

The Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in a national park some 1,400 km (870 miles) northeast of Greenland's capital Nuuk, the JAC said in a statement.

There were no reports of injuries, JAC said.

"A cruise ship in trouble in the national park is obviously a worry. The nearest help is far away, our units are far away, and the weather can be very unfavourable," JAC head of operations, Commander Brian Jensen, said in the statement.

"However, in this specific situation, we do not see any immediate danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring," he added.

A spokesperson for Australian cruise operator Aurora Expeditions said in an emailed statement everyone on board was safe and well.

The JAC said its nearest unit was an inspection vessel some 1,200 nautical miles away at the time of the incident, meaning it could reach the grounded ship by Friday morning local time at the earliest.

The Arctic command said it had asked a cruise ship located nearer to the Ocean Explorer to stay in the area so that it would be able to assist in case the situation changes.

Completed in 2021, the Ocean Explorer can accommodate up to 134 passengers and offers trips to "some of the most wild and remote destinations on the planet", Aurora Expeditions said on its website.

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Nick Macfie)

Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters .

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Luxury cruise ship with 206 passengers runs aground in Greenland

The danish military's joint arctic command says no one aboard the stranded ocean explorer was injured.

Cruise industry seeing summer boom with pandemic restrictions lifted

Cruise ships are seeing more people come on board this summer as 31.5 million people are expected to cruise this year. That would be more than the last full year before the pandemic.

A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 passengers and crew is stranded at a remote national park in Greenland, with the nearest rescue vessel days away, authorities said. 

The Danish military's Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said the Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland National Park, about 870 miles northeast of Greenland's capital Nuuk. Personnel from the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, an elite Danish naval unit , have boarded the ship to assess the situation. 

No one was injured, and there were no reports of anyone in danger, the JAC said.

"A cruise ship in trouble in the national park is obviously a worry. The nearest help is far away, our units are far away, and the weather can be very unfavorable," Commander Brian Jensen, JAC head of operations, said Tuesday in the statement.

CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER AIRLIFTED BY COAST GUARD 180 MILES FROM CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS

A view of the Ocean Explorer, a luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people that ran aground,in Alpefjord, Greenland, on Tuesday. (Danish Air Force/Arctic Command/Handout via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)

"However, in this specific situation, we do not see any immediate danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring," he added.

The cruise operator, Aurora Expeditions, told Reuters that all aboard were safe and well.

"There is no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel or the surrounding environment," the Australia-based company said, per Reuters.

Officials said the ship remains stuck Wednesday after Tuesday's tide failed to lift the 341-foot vessel enough to free it.

ROYAL CARRIBEAN CRUISE PASSENGER WHO ‘COULD NOT SWIM’ GOES OVERBOARD IN SINGAPORE STRAIT

Danish authorities said the nearest vessel able to assist the Ocean Explorer was days away. (Danish Air Force/Arctic Command/Handout via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)

" The tide that came in during the day, local time, did not provide the desired help to sail on," the JAC said in a statement.

Authorities said crew members and passengers are in a "difficult situation," but, despite their circumstances, "the atmosphere on the ship is good and everyone on board is fine." 

"There are no indications that the ship has suffered serious damage from the foundation," the JAC said.

An inspection vessel, the Knud Rasmussen, is en route toward the grounded cruise ship and is expected to arrive on Friday morning, authorities said. 

CELEBRITY CRUISES NOROVIRUS OUTBREAK LEAVES MORE THAN 175 SICK

The Danish Joint Arctic Command deployed personnel from the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol to assess the condition of the Ocean Explorer. (SIRIUS/Arctic Command / Fox News)

Photos taken by a Danish air force plane on Tuesday showed the Ocean Explorer sitting upright in calm waters with the sun shining.

Danish authorities said they have contacted nearby ships to see whether they would be able to help free the Ocean Explorer. 

A fishing vessel owned by Greenland's government is scheduled to arrive later Wednesday and will attempt to use a high tide to free the cruise ship, The Associated Press reported. 

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Built in 2021, the Ocean Explorer is an Infinity-class vessel which can accommodate 134 passengers. According to Aurora Expeditions' website, the ship was "purpose-built for expedition travel to the world’s most remote destinations." 

Greenland, a semi-sovereign territory of Denmark in the North Atlantic Ocean with a population of just 57,000, attracts tourists with its rugged landscape and a vast ice cap that covers much of the island.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Luxury Cruise Ship Runs Aground While Leaving Caribbean Port

A Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. luxury liner carrying thousands of passengers that ran aground while trying to leave a port in the Dominican Republic on Monday has managed to free itself after hours of being stranded.

The Norwegian Escape hit the channel bed as it was departing Puerto Plata on Monday afternoon, according to a company spokesperson. Tugs had been employed to free it most of the afternoon and evening, according to social media posts. Passengers posted the cruise ship, one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s biggest liners at 1,069 feet, was refloated after midnight, local time.