An Australian cruise ship being investigated after allegedly leaving behind a passenger who died alone has run aground off the coast of Papua New Guinea with more than 120 people aboard.
The Coral Adventurer ran aground early on Saturday morning, about 30km from PNG’s second-largest city, Lae. The vessel’s operator, Coral Expeditions, said no one was hurt in the incident.
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“Coral Adventurer had a grounding incident in coastal Papua New Guinea yesterday. All passengers and crew are safe,” the spokesperson said.
“An initial inspection indicates no damage to the vessel. The incident has been reported to authorities and will undergo further official inspections to the hull and marine environment as a standard procedure.”
The passengers are on Papua New Guinea while a team tries to refloat the ship and inspects the hull.
The Coral Adventurer is under investigation, after Suzanne Rees, 80, from Sydney, died when she left her hiking group on Lizard Island during an excursion on day two of a planned 60-day luxury circumnavigation of Australia.
Her body was found on the island on Sunday 26 October, after a land and sea search was mounted when the ship’s crew realised she was not on board. Rees’ absence was noticed when she did not show up for dinner at about 6pm, with the ship turning round and heading back towards Lizard Island at 8.43pm. According to satellite tracking data, the Coral Adventurer was about 100km away when it turned back for Rees.
The cruise company ended the tour early with all passengers flown home from the Torres Strait islands.
The company’s chief executive officer, Mark Fifield, said “following the tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues, the decision had been made to cancel the remainder of the voyage” and that passengers would receive a full refund.
Balcony rooms on the 120-guest cruise are priced at $86,400 a person, according to a listing on Clean Cruising.