An Australian cruise ship, the Coral Adventurer, has run aground off the coast of Papua New Guinea with more than 120 people on board just two months after a separate incident in which a passenger died after allegedly being left behind on a Great Barrier Reef island.
The vessel became stranded early Saturday morning about 30 kilometres from Lae, PNG’s second‑largest city in Morobe Province. According to the ship’s operator, none of the 80 passengers or 43 crew members were injured.
“All passengers and crew are safe,” Coral Expeditions said in a statement, adding that an initial inspection showed no damage to the vessel.
The company confirmed that the incident had been reported to authorities and that further inspections of the hull and surrounding marine environment would take place as part of standard procedure.
Local authorities are currently assessing the ship and working with Coral Expeditions on efforts to refloat it.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it did not receive a distress call from the vessel but is aware of the situation.
“AMSA is currently monitoring the situation and is ready to support PNG authorities if requested,” the agency said in a written statement.
+ There are no comments
Add yours