Luxury Cruise Ship Runs Aground In Remote Greenland

Ocean Explorer, a cruise ship with 206 people on board, ran aground Monday in a remote eastern region of Greenland, with the nearest help days away. 

“A cruise ship in trouble in the national park is obviously a worry. The nearest help is far away, our units are far away, and the weather can be very unfavorable,” the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC), Commander Brian Jensen, said in a statement to Reuters. 

Bloomberg data shows Ocean Explorer is stuck in Alpefjord, about 870 miles northeast of Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. The vessel made several stops on Greenland’s coast before getting stuck. It departed from Sweden last Wednesday. 

Jensen explained that the vessel is located in “the national park, northeastern Greenland, where there’s no population. Luckily, it’s calm, and we have time on our side as there’s no imminent threat of a storm.” 

“A military flight over the Ocean Explorer confirmed that its hull appears intact and no oil has escaped. No injuries have been reported and the ship has plenty of supplies,” Bloomberg said. 

Aurora Expeditions, the ship’s Sydney-based operator, said all 206 on board are “safe and well” and noted, “Importantly, there is no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel, or the surrounding environment.” 

JAC’s nearest inspection vessel was 1,200 nautical miles away and would reach the luxury cruise ship on Friday morning.