Ocean Explorer luxury cruise ship that ran aground pulled free in Greenland

Table Of Content

• Greenland cruise ship pulled free after three days stuck in mud
• MV Ocean Explorer joins Quark Expeditions' fleet
• Stranded luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer is pulled free at high tide in Greenland
• A stranded luxury cruise ship was stuck in Greenland for 3 days. It's finally been pulled free.
• Greenlandic women sue Danish state for contraceptive ‘violation’

On Wednesday, a research ship owned by the Greenland government unsuccessfully attempted to pull the ship off ground during high tide. "There have not been any injuries to anybody onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull,” SunStone Ships said in a statement. Ocean Explorer's delivery was originally scheduled for January 2021, and the inaugural cruise for March 2021. However, the delivery to Vantage Travel was officially held on July 13, 2021, at CMHI's Haimen Shipyard. The boat then departed China for Manila Philippines (to be crewed), then continued to Valletta Malta (to get hotel staff and supplies) and to homeport Poole (England UK) for the inaugural season (starting late-August).

Greenland cruise ship pulled free after three days stuck in mud

The cruise ship ran aground Monday above the Arctic Circle in Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s northernmost national park. The park is nearly the size of France and Spain combined, and approximately 80% is covered by an ice sheet. Dozens of cruise ships sail along Greenland’s coast every year so passengers can admire the picturesque mountainous landscape, sometimes barren, with fjords, and the waterways packed with icebergs of different sizes and glaciers jutting out into the sea. Dozens of cruise ships sail along Greenland's coast every year so passengers can admire the picturesque mountainous landscape, sometimes barren, with fjords, and the waterways packed with icebergs of different sizes and glaciers jutting out into the sea.

MV Ocean Explorer joins Quark Expeditions' fleet

And if traditional sailing is more your speed, join us aboard our three-masted schooner, Rembrandt van Rijn. An officer has been on board the ship to carry out "initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board," it said. Denmark's Danish Maritime Authority have asked police in Greenland to investigate why the ship ran aground and whether any laws had been violated, a police statement said, adding that no one has been charged or arrested. An officer had been on board the ship to carry out "initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board," it added. The MV Ocean Explorer ran aground above the Arctic Circle on Monday in Alpefjord, which is in the Northeast Greenland National Park, the world's northernmost national park.

Stranded luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer is pulled free at high tide in Greenland

Stranded luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer is pulled free at high tide in Greenland - The Associated Press

Stranded luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer is pulled free at high tide in Greenland.

Posted: Thu, 14 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The Ocean Explorer cruise vessel had been stuck since Monday in mud and silt in the Alpefjord national park, 870 miles (1,400km) north-east of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. A luxury cruise ship that ran aground in a remote part of Greenland with 206 people onboard has been pulled free by a fishing trawler. It has an inverted bow, shaped like the one on a submarine, 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew, and several restaurants. “There have not been any injuries to anybody onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull,” SunStone Ships said in a statement.

Days Extensive Spitsbergen - Northeast Greenland - Aurora Borealis

Ocean Explorer: Luxury cruise ship freed after running aground in a Greenland fjord - CNN

Ocean Explorer: Luxury cruise ship freed after running aground in a Greenland fjord.

Posted: Thu, 14 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

SunStone is the world's largest (by tonnage) shipowner chartering exclusively expedition vessels to cruise travel companies. Since there is an option for an additional 6 sisterships, by this "ULSTEIN CX103" project could be built up to 10 units. The ship was freed by a fisheries research vessel at high tide, said the cruise ship’s owner, Copenhagen-based SunStone Ships and the Arctic Command, which had been coordinating the operation. The luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer was successfully pulled free in Greenland on Thursday, three days after running aground with 206 people on board, authorities and the ship's owner said.

Hondius begins her Arctic season, with other ships to follow

The ship is technically managed by Cruise Management International (Miami-based passenger vessel/fleet management company). The Ocean Explorer will be taken to a port to assess any damage, while the passengers will be flown home, said SunStone Maritime Group, which owns the cruise vessel. “There have not been any injuries to any person onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull,” SunStone said in a statement. With a combination of the Ocean Explorer’s own power while being pulled by the research vessel, the cruise ship finally came unstuck.

A stranded luxury cruise ship was stuck in Greenland for 3 days. It's finally been pulled free.

The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, including the Arctic Ocean in the north. Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faeroe Islands. The Ocean Explorer hasn’t been able to free itself since it ran aground around nearly 900 miles from Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.

Many of the passengers were from Australia, as well as New Zealand, the UK, South Korea and the US. Steven Fraser and Gina Hill, a retired couple on board the Ocean Explorer, said passengers' spirits were high despite being stranded. "There have not been any injuries to anybody onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull," it said. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges.

East Greenland, Scoresby Sund - Aurora Borealis, Including Long Hikes

The ship's owner said several other vessels had rushed to the scene "and offered their assistance, which however, was not needed." It said it had also "arranged additional tug assistance in case it was needed, however, this has now been canceled." Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said in a statement that no one on board has been injured, and the ship hasn’t sustained any damage, according to Arctic Command Commander Captain Brian Jensen. “It’s a cruise that a lot of wealthy older people do because they can get out into these wilderness areas,” Fraser told the Australian news site. The earliest a vessel can reach the Ocean Explorer is Friday morning, according to Danish authorities. There was no immediate comment from the tour company that organised the trip, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions. The 104.4-metre-long and 18-metre-wide Ocean Explorer ran aground in Alpefjord, above the Arctic Circle in the Northeast Greenland National Park.

Ocean Explorer staterooms (a total of 77/including 15x single occupancy cabins and 10x without balconies) allow max passenger capacity 162. Most cabins (80% of all, excepting only Deck 3 cabins with Portholes) are with private, step-out balconies accessible from the living area via sliding, floor-ceiling glass door. 60% of all cabins can be booked with triple occupancy (accommodate a 3rd person on pull-out couch/sofabed). The major advantage of the patented "ULSTEIN X-BOW" design is the ship's ability to navigate with improved stability in comparison to traditional bow-design vessels. X-BOW vessels are less subject to vertical motions (induced by waves), continuing on course smoothly while maintaining high speeds. The ship's engines use less fuel, which results in reduced air emissions and fuel consumption.

These are the largest staterooms, with double-size balconies and offering extra amenities, such as in-room dining service (continental breakfast served on the balcony). Sun Deck (top-deck forward) is furnished with premium garden furniture (sofas, armchairs, sun loungers) and is used for both relaxation and wildlife viewing. At top-deck's bow is the Observation Lounge & Bar (also serves as a meeting room, lecture hall, show lounge/with live performances), midship is the Funnel (with four smokestacks/engine exhaust pipes).

Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faroe Islands. Earlier Thursday, Aurora Expeditions said that three passengers had become infected with COVID-19 on the ship. The name of the research ship was Tarajoq and it belongs to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, a government agency.

Since July 2023, Ocean Explorer is chartered by Aurora Expeditions (fleet/1991-founded Australian company specializing in Arctic and Antarctic cruisetours). In summer 2023, Ocean Explorer took over the Arctic schedule Svalbard Norway) of Greg Mortimer (drydocked after suffering propeller damage in East Greenland). Ocean Explorer's operations for Aurora Expeditions started on July 24th, with roundtrips from Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen Island (Svalbard Norway). They are looked after by our onboard doctor, medical team and crew, and they are doing well,” Aurora Expeditions said in a statement. "These passengers are currently in isolation. They are looked after by our onboard doctor, medical team and crew, and they are doing well," Aurora Expeditions said in a statement.

The cruise liner began its latest trip on Sept. 2 in Kirkenes, in Arctic Norway, and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 22, according to SunStone Ships. Greenland, a semi-sovereign territory of Denmark in the north Atlantic with a population of just 57,000, attracts tourists with its rugged landscape and a vast ice cap that covers much of the island. The cruise liner began its current trip on Sept. 2 in Kirkenes in Arctic Norway and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 22, according to SunStone Ships. Cmdr. Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command told Greenland broadcaster KNR that the ship is likely to go to Iceland, the closest place with large ports.

The ship is equipped with the maritime industry's latest propulsion and return-to-port systems, as well as dynamic positioning technology (by Kongsberg Maritime). These computer-controlled systems allow automatic maintenance of the position via 3x propulsion units - 1x Brunvoll bow thruster (output 880 kW) and 2x Scania FPPs (fixed-pitch propellers), plus 2x zero-speed retractable stabilizers (Rolls-Royce Aquarius). This allows stable floating while maintaining the necessary stability for launching watercraft - and without using anchors. The powerplant consists of 4x Wartsila diesel engines (output 1,08 MW each/total 4,32 MW), and 4x auxiliary engines (Ingeteam). On Aug 4th, Pacific Travel Partners submitted its bid (US$1,5 million cash offer) for Vantage Travel's assets (not the entire business) and on Aug 9th it won the auction. On Aug 22nd, Pacific Travel Partners officially acquired Vantage Travel's assets (intellectual property, customer list and prospecting).