Cruise ship runs aground in remote part of Greenland
Cruise ship runs aground in remote part of Greenland: Danish navy heads to help grounded ship with 206 people on board but will not arrive until Friday
- Ocean Explorer ran aground 870 miles northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk
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 said today.
The Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in a national park some 870 miles northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk, the Danish Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said.
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.
There were no reports of injuries, according to Camilla Shouw Broholm, a spokeswoman for the JAC.
‘The Ocean Explorer ran aground Monday in the Alpefjord northeast of Greenland and has been unable to refloat itself,’ she said.
The Ocean Explorer (pictured) ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in a national park some 870 miles northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk, the Danish Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said
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
‘There are no injuries and the vessel has not sustained any damage. Our operations centre made contact with the ship. There are 206 passengers and crew on board.’
A spokesperson for Australian cruise operator Aurora Expeditions said in an emailed statement everyone on board was safe and well.
‘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.
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.
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