A cruise ship sailing off the coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG) ran aground on Saturday, Dec. 27, during a recent voyage — the first since the death of an 80-year-old passenger in October.
According to a Dec. 27 statement from PNG’s National Maritime Safety Authority, the Coral Adventurer cruise ship struck a coral reef off the country’s eastern coast around 5:25 a.m. local time on Saturday. It occurred about 60 miles from Lae, PNG’s second-largest city and capital of the Morobe Province.
The agency reports the vessel was carrying 80 passengers and 44 crew members at the time of the incident.
A spokesperson for the ship’s operator, Coral Expeditions, an Australian company, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and The Guardian on Monday, Dec. 29, that there were no injuries to passengers or crew.
“To date, initial inspections indicate no damage to the vessel, with further comprehensive inspection of the hull and marine environment to be conducted as standard procedure once the vessel is refloated,” the statement said.
However, the outlets report initial attempts to free the ship were unsuccessful. A tug boat was dispatched to the area on Sunday, Dec. 28, but was unable to pull the ship off the reef. In turn, the company decided to cut the voyage short.
“Acknowledging that we have not been able to deliver the exceptional experience expected by our guests on this occasion, Coral Expeditions has decided to end the tour,” the spokesperson said. “All passengers will be flown out on a charter flight.”
Passengers are expected to be flown to Cairns, Australia, where the ship departed on Dec. 18.
A spokesperson for Coral Expeditions did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
As of early November, the Coral Adventurer was under investigation following an unrelated incident earlier this year. On Sunday, Oct. 26, 80-year-old passenger Suzanne Rees was found dead on Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland, ABC reported. The current status of the investigation is unclear.
According to the outlet, Rees had been hiking the Cook’s Look peak on the remote island when she allegedly stopped to rest and became separated from the group. The Coral Adventurer subsequently left after she failed to board.
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In an Oct. 30 statement, Coral Expedition CEO Mark Fifield offered the company’s “heartfelt condolences to the Rees family and remain deeply sorry that this occured.”
“The circumstances of her tragic death are the subject of official investigations. We are fully cooperating with those investigations to determine the facts,” the CEO continued, per news.com.au. “For this reason, it would be inappropriate to comment further on the investigations while they are underway. We continue to provide our full support to the Rees family through this difficult time.”
He added the cruise operator was “working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation.”
Cruise Passengers Stranded After Ship Gets Stuck on Coral Reef
