A small cruise ship that ran aground in a remote part of Greenland was finally rescued with the support of a local research vessel.
MV Ocean Explorer had been stuck in Alpefjord within the Northeast Greenland National Park since Tuesday with 206 passengers and crew on board, including a number from the UK and Ireland.
Australian operator Aurora Expeditions revealed overnight that the ship had been re-floated with help from Greenland government research vessel Tarajoq.
SunStone Maritime Group, owner of Ocean Explorer, said it had been released “based on a pull” from Tarajoq and the ship’s own power. This came after efforts to free the ship at high tide failed.
The company said: “On Thursday early morning the Ocean Explorer was successfully pulled of the grounding in the East Greenland Fjord. There have not been any injuries to any person onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull.
“We do also like to thank other expedition cruise vessels in the vicinity, from Quark Expeditions, Silversea and Hurtigruten, who all reached out and offered their assistance, which however, was not needed.
“SunStone had also arranged additional tug assistance in case it was needed, however, this has now been cancelled.
“We would like to thank our charterer Aurora Expeditions as well as all their passengers for an excellent co-operation in this unexpected and difficult circumstance.
“The vessel and its passengers will now be positioned to a port where the vessel’s bottom damages can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a port from which they can be flown back home.”
The vessel, which is on charter to Aurora Expeditions, began its cruise on September 2 from Kirkenes in Norway and was scheduled to arrive in Bergen on September 22.
The Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command said an inspection vessel had been due to arrive at the scene on Friday.
Aurora Expeditions said: “We are pleased to confirm that the MV Ocean Explorerhas been successfully freed from its grounding in Alpefjord, Greenland, on Thursday 14 September 2023, with the help of the Tarajoq vessel.
“All onboard are safe and there is no damage to the environment. We are waiting on the relevant authorities for advice regarding our next steps.
“We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the management and team of the Tarajoq vessel, for assisting us during this challenging time, and our team who have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and comfort of our passengers.
“We also sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding of our passengers during this process. We remain committed to assisting them as the situation progresses.”