A luxury cruise ship, the Coral Adventurer, has been formally detained by authorities following its grounding on a coral reef off Papua New Guinea, casting a further shadow over an operator already under investigation for a passenger's death.
A Christmas Cruise Gone Wrong
The vessel, carrying 80 passengers and 43 crew on a 12-night Christmas voyage from Cairns, struck a reef approximately 30 kilometres off the coast of Lae early on Saturday. The incident left the ship stranded for three and a half days.
Passengers, who had each paid more than $13,000 for the luxury trip, were eventually flown back to Cairns on Tuesday. A spokesman for Coral Expeditions confirmed the ship was refloated on Tuesday afternoon and anchored nearby for inspections.
However, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has now detained the Coral Adventurer. The authority cited a 'reasonable suspicion that it is not seaworthy due to potential damage sustained during the grounding'.
A Troubled History Resurfaces
This latest crisis comes just two months after a tragic incident involving the same vessel. In October, 80-year-old Australian grandmother Suzanne Rees was left behind on Lizard Island during a stopover on a separate, ultra-luxury circumnavigation cruise of Australia.
Ms Rees, who had been hiking, failed to re-board. Serious questions were raised about a five-hour delay in launching a search for the missing passenger, who later died. Multiple investigations into that tragedy are ongoing.
The recent grounding occurred on the Coral Adventurer's first voyage since the death of Suzanne Rees, adding to the operator's mounting woes.
Investigations and Inspections Underway
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) officials are travelling to Papua New Guinea to interview the ship's captain and crew. ATSB commissioner Angus Mitchell stated the bureau is focused on determining exactly what happened and what lessons can be learned.
'We want to know what exactly what was planned and what was the passage plan, what were the provisions taken when you operate in confined and shallower waters and obviously, what's gone wrong,' Mr Mitchell said.
Investigators have already quarantined data from the ship’s voyage recorder and are gathering tracking data, weather reports, and crew records. Despite the detention order, initial inspections by the company have so far detected no major damage to the hull.
Coral Expeditions has ended the current tour, acknowledging they could not deliver the expected experience. All passengers were flown out on a charter flight.
