Cruise ship carrying 206 folks runs aground in Greenland – and rescue won’t arrive till Friday

Sep 13, 2023 at 2:32 AM

A cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew on board has run aground in northwestern Greenland and rescue won’t arrive till Friday on the earliest, authorities mentioned.

The Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in a nationwide park some 1,400km (870 miles) northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk, the Danish army’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) mentioned.

“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 mentioned within the assertion.

He mentioned the closest Danish navy ship was round 1,200 nautical miles (greater than 2,000km or 1,380 miles) away, including it was heading to the location and wouldn’t attain the grounded ship till Friday on the earliest.

“However, in this specific situation, we do not see any immediate danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring,” he added.

Authorities have been involved with one other cruise ship within the space and it has been requested to stay close by to help in case the state of affairs modifications.

The grounded cruise ship may also get free by itself when the tide is excessive, Greenland tv KNR reported.

But afterward Tuesday the JAC mentioned on its Facebook web page the ship was nonetheless caught regardless of the tide.

“Regardless, the most important thing for us is that everyone gets to safety,” Mr Jensen mentioned.

A spokesperson for Australian cruise operator Aurora Expeditions mentioned everybody on board was protected and nicely.

The Ocean Explorer was accomplished in 2021 and might accommodate as much as 134 passengers.

It gives journeys to “some of the most wild and remote destinations on the planet”, Aurora Expeditions mentioned on its web site.

Greenland is a semi-independent territory that’s a part of the Danish realm.