Grounded Expedition Cruise Ship Ocean Explorer Stuck in Greenland Fjord
15th September 2023
The expedition cruise ship Ocean Explorer, with 206 people on board, was grounded in a remote Greenland fjord after initial attempts to refloat the vessel failed.
The ship ran aground on 12 September in Alpefjord, part of Northeast Greenland National Park. The ship was stablised with no threats to the environment or safety to those onboard and no indications that the ship has suffered serious damage to its hull.
While there were other vessels in the area, none were powerful enough to pull the cruise ship free.
Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) sent Knud Rasmussen, an offshore patrol vessel with the Royal Danish Navy, which is due to arrive on 15 September following a 1,200-nautical-mile voyage to assist.
An initial attempt to refloat the vessel at high tide early on 13 September, using Ocean Explorer’s own power, was unsuccessful.
A second refloating attempt using Greenland’s Institute of Nature’s research ship Tarajoq was also unsuccessful.
Ocean Explorer is an Infinity class expedition cruise ship owned by SunStone Ships and built in 2021 by Ulstein at its partner yard China Merchants Heavy Industries (CMHI).
The vessel can accommodate 165 passengers and up to 300 included crew.
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