Luxury cruise ship full of Australians stuck in Greenland Arctic

By Danielle Bochove and Ben Westcott for Bloomberg

A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 passengers — primarily Australians — has run aground in remote northeastern Greenland, with the closest vessel available to help with rescue efforts only expected to reach the scene on Friday.

The Ocean Explorer became stuck at about noon on Monday in the Alpefjord, roughly 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) northeast of Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, said Brian Jensen of the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command.

The ship’s captain initially waited for high tide at midnight to try to float clear, Jensen said by telephone. But the mud — a mix of sediment, sand and silt left by a nearby glacier — is creating a strong suction that’s holding the vessel in place. The ship waited for the next high tide which was around noon on Tuesday, but that attempt was also unsuccessful, he said.

“Our main priority is the safety of the 206 persons on board,” Jensen said. “We’re in the national park, northeastern Greenland, there’s no population. Luckily it’s calm and we have time on our side as there’s no imminent threat of a storm.”

A military flight over the Ocean Explorer confirmed that its hull appears intact and no oil has escaped. No injuries have been reported and the ship has plenty of supplies.

“All passengers, the expedition team and crew onboard are safe and well,” Aurora Expeditions, the ship’s Sydney-based operator, said in a statement. “Importantly, there is no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel, or the surrounding environment.”

A Danish naval ship already at sea off the coast of southwest Greenland has been diverted and should reach the area by Friday morning, said Jensen.

Aurora Expeditions specializes in polar trips, including a 30-day cruise costing more than $33,000 (A$51,000) per person, according to the its website. The company highlights the experiences it offers to view Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and spot wildlife like polar bears, beluga whales and walruses.

Greenland, like many Arctic countries, is becoming increasingly concerned about the logistics of mounting expensive rescue operations in remote areas.

The number of cruise ships around the world’s largest island has jumped 50 per cent in the past year to 600, Jensen said. Last year, the Joint Arctic Command did one medical evacuation and so far this year it has done five, he said.