A luxury cruise liner with 206 passengers remains stuck in a remote part of Greenland after it ran aground three days ago. According to a report by Reuters, the ship ‘Ocean Explorer’ operated by Australian cruise operator Aurora Expeditions got stuck in mud and silt in Alpefjord National Park, which is 1,400 km northeast of Greenland's capital Nuuk. A fish trawler attempted to free the ship during high tide on Wednesday, but it was not successful. A report by The Independent stated that the ship got stuck on Monday afternoon (September 11) and due to the remote location, rescue is only possible by Friday (September 15).
Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said in a statement shared on Facebook that they had received a message about the situation on Monday.
“On Monday afternoon West Greenlandic time, the Arctic Command received a message that the cruise ship Ocean Explorer was grounded in the Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland, and that the ship is not immediately able to be freed by its own help.”
The report by The Independent says that the ship’s captain tried to move the vessel during high tide on both Monday and Tuesday but the sediments and a mixture of sand and silt left by the glacier made it difficult. The Reuters report says that the Armed Forces personnel have also inspected the ship and have said that despite the difficult situation, the crew and passengers remain safe.
"The crew and passengers are in a difficult situation, but under the circumstances the atmosphere on the ship is good and everyone on board is doing well," the JAC said. However, the news reports also mention that Covid-19 infections are now circulating among the passengers onboard.
Aurora Expeditions conducts tours in the Arctic region which includes destinations such as Greenland, Svalbard, and Iceland, etc. According to the company’s website in Greenland, the adventure cruise takes passengers through the "pristine wilderness" of the nation.