A luxury expedition vessel has struck a coral reef off Papua New Guinea’s coast in the latest setback for the troubled cruise operator, still reeling from a passenger’s tragic death.
The Coral Adventurer became grounded nearly 19 miles from Lae on Saturday morning after colliding with a reef, forcing crew members to alert authorities at around 6 a.m.
The 12-night voyage, which set sail from Cairns on December 18 with a price tag of $13,280 per person, is understood to be the Australian-flagged ship’s first journey since the death of an 80-year-old passenger in October.
Instead, 123 people – comprising 80 passengers and 43 crew – found themselves stranded on the grounded vessel while awaiting high tide to assist with refloating operations.
A spokesperson for the operator, Coral Expeditions, told news.com.au, “All passengers and crew are safe.”
“An initial inspection indicates no damage to the vessel,” they said.
“The incident has been reported to authorities and will undergo further official inspections to the hull and marine environment as a standard procedure.”
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) released a statement confirming “there are no injuries among the passengers and crew onboard.”
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An officer from the PNG Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre has boarded the ship and is providing assistance with the incident, authorities confirmed.
The luxury cruiser had reached Papua New Guinea waters on December 20 and was navigating the coastline throughout the week before Saturday’s incident occurred.
Passengers onboard the vessel were scheduled to complete their journey and disembark on December 30.
News.com.au understands there is no damage to the vessel, and inspections and work to refloat the vessel are continuing today.
Crews planned to assess the ship for damage once it was successfully refloated.
Back in October, the Coral Adventurer dominated headlines when 80-year-old New South Wales tourist Suzanne Rees was discovered dead on remote Lizard Island.
The grandmother had not boarded the vessel and was found dead on the island several hours later.
That tragedy triggered multiple investigations, with AMSA and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland both launching inquiries that continue today.
