Australian cruise ship refloated after becoming stuck on reef off coast of Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinea

An Australian cruise ship has been refloated after becoming stranded on a reef off the coast of Papua New Guinea despite efforts to free the ship.

The Coral Adventurer, which ran aground on Saturday morning, was released on Tuesday afternoon and anchored nearby for examinations. Passengers will fly home early.

The ship was on its first voyage since it came under investigation in October following an unrelated incident in which a passenger was allegedly left on the island.

The ship was carrying 80 passengers and 44 crew when it ran aground about 30km from Lae, PNG’s second-largest city, on Saturday.

While no one was injured in the accident, all passengers were later taken to PNG.

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A tugboat was sent to the area on Sunday to help remove the ship from the reef.

A spokesman for the ship’s operator, Coral Expeditions, said Monday that the company had decided to cancel the voyage.

“Recognizing that we were unable to deliver the exceptional experience our guests expected on this occasion, Coral Expeditions has decided to terminate the tour,” the spokesperson said.

“All passengers will fly on charter flights.”

The company “continues to work with local authorities to refloat the Coral Adventurer,” the spokesperson said.

“To date, initial inspections have revealed no damage to the ship; once the ship is refloated, more comprehensive inspections of the hull and marine environment will be carried out as standard procedure.

“There were no injuries to passengers or crew.”

Passengers are expected to fly early Tuesday to Cairns, where the ship departed on December 18.

PNG’s National Maritime Safety Authority said in a statement released over the weekend that the ship was first alerted to the grounding at around 6.57am local time on Saturday.

“At the time it ran aground, the ship was sitting on a coral reef with a 6-degree inclination to its port side,” the statement said.

october death

The Coral Adventurer is currently part of a separate and unrelated investigation following the death of passenger Suzanne Rees in October.

The 80-year-old Sydney man was allegedly left behind on Lizard Island by the ship during a cruise.

The crew reportedly realized he wasn’t on the ship when he didn’t show up for dinner. His body was found on the island on Sunday, October 26, after searches on land and at sea.

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