Stranded cruise ship the Ocean Explorer freed three days after operating aground in Greenland

A luxurious cruise ship has been freed after it ran aground in northwestern Greenland.

The Ocean Explorer – which has 206 passengers on board – bought caught in mud and silt on Monday in Alpefjord, a nationwide park 870 miles (1,400km) northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk, the Danish navy’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) mentioned.

After three failed makes an attempt to free the ship, it was “successfully” pulled free by a fishing vessel, Tarajoq, at excessive tide.

SunStone Ships, the vessel’s proprietor, mentioned the ship might be taken to a port to evaluate any injury, whereas the passengers might be flown house.

“There have not been any injuries to any person onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull,” SunStone mentioned in a press release.

Before the rescue, the JAC had despatched its bigger inspection vessel, Knud Rasmussen, to the location, which was anticipated to reach on Friday night.

‘Everyone’s in good spirits’

The Ocean Explorer, which is operated by Australia-based Aurora Expeditions, left the Norwegian port of Bronnoysund on 6 September, in keeping with monitoring information from MarineTraffic.com.

The ship has 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew.

There are additionally a number of eating places, an infinity pool and a two-level lounge with a piano bar and panoramic home windows on the bow of the ship, in keeping with Ulstein, the corporate that constructed it.

More from Sky News:
P&O cruise liner ‘crashes into petrol tanker’
Tiny Cornish port city hosts 60,000 tonne cruise ship

Some of these on board are from Australia, UK, New Zealand, US and South Korea, and had been described by passengers Steven Fraser and Gina Hill as “a lot of wealthy older people”.

Earlier on Thursday, the retired couple from Australia advised the Sydney Morning Herald that “everyone’s in good spirits”.

“It’s a little bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world,” Mr Fraser was quoted as saying.

Mr Fraser mentioned he was one among plenty of passengers who had examined optimistic for COVID, however there’s a physician on board.

Lisa, one other passenger, advised CNN that her largest worry in the mean time is operating out of alcohol, but when the worst did occur, she had a back-up plan.

“I had swimming lessons before I came and I’m a good swimmer,” she mentioned.

“So look out: I could be swimming back to Iceland.”

Members of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol – a Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance and enforces Danish sovereignty within the Arctic wilderness – had been within the neighborhood of the stranded ship.

They visited on Tuesday and reported that everybody on board was wonderful and no injury to the vessel had been reported.