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The "Ocean Explorer", here a shot from May 2022 in Montreal, is stuck off Greenland
Photo: Graham Hughes / picture alliance / empics
A luxury cruise ship with 206 people on board has run aground in a remote area in eastern Greenland. At first, the crew could not maneuver the ship on their own, the Arctic Command of the Danish military said on Tuesday. The "Ocean Explorer" has been lying in a fjord about 1400 kilometers northeast of the capital Nuuk since Monday, it said.
"The nearest aid is far away, our units are far away, and the weather can be very unfavorable," said Arctic Command Chief Brian Jensen. So far, there have been no reports of injuries on board and there is currently no immediate danger to passengers or the environment, he explained.
Help on Friday morning at the earliest
The closest unit of the Arctic Command was an inspection ship, which was about 1200 nautical miles away at the time of the incident, Jensen said. This means that it could reach the grounded ship at the earliest on Friday morning (local time). Therefore, the authority had asked a nearby cruise ship to stay on site. In this way, they are able to help if the situation changes.
60-square-meter suites
The Australian company Aurora Expeditions, which operates the cruise, was unable to provide any further information about the incident on Tuesday afternoon, according to the AFP news agency. According to its own statements, the "Ocean Explorer" was "specially developed for expedition trips to the most remote destinations in the world". The company advertises suites up to 60 square meters in size, a gym and a whirlpool. The company does not specify prices on its website.
According to information from the industry magazine "Cruise Industry News", the 8000,<>-ton "Ocean Explorer" was chartered by Aurora Expeditions for the Arctic season only about two months ago.
Previously, the ship "Greg Mortimer", which was originally intended for this purpose, had propeller damage and had to be moved to dry dock.
SWE/Reuters