Australian cruise ship investigated after leaving passenger behind runs aground off PNG with 120 people on board | Papua New Guinea

An Australian cruise ship, which allegedly left behind a lone passenger who died, ran aground off the coast of Papua New Guinea with more than 120 people on board.

The Coral Adventurer ran aground in the early hours of Saturday morning, about 30km from Lae, PNG’s second largest city. The ship’s operator, Coral Expeditions, said no one was injured in the incident.

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“Coral Adventurer experienced a grounding incident off the coast of Papua New Guinea yesterday. All passengers and crew are safe,” the spokesman said.

“Initial inspection revealed no damage to the ship. The incident has been reported to authorities and will undergo additional official inspections of the hull and marine environment as standard procedure.”

While the passengers are in Papua New Guinea, a team is trying to refloat the ship and examine the hull.

The Coral Adventurer is under investigation following the death of Suzanne Rees, 80, from Sydney, when she became separated from her walking group at Lizard Island on the second day of a 60-day luxury patrol of Australia.

His body was found on the island on Sunday, October 26, following a search on land and sea after the ship’s crew noticed he was not on board. Rees’ absence was discovered when he failed to arrive for dinner at around 6pm, when the ship turned around and headed for Lizard Island at 8.43pm. According to satellite tracking data, Coral Adventurer was approximately 100 km away when it turned towards Rees.

The cruise line ended the tour early, with all passengers flying home from the Torres Strait islands.

Mark Fifield, the company’s CEO, said: “Following the tragic death of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues, it has been decided to cancel the remainder of the journey” and passengers will be refunded in full.

According to the listing on Clean Cruising, the price of balcony rooms on the 120-passenger ship is $86,400 per person.