The ship, which has passengers from around the world on board, was pulled free from mud and silt by a fishing vessel.
Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday. Pic: AP
A luxury cruise ship has been freed after it ran aground in northwestern Greenland.
The Ocean Explorer – which has 206 passengers on board – got stuck in mud and silt on Monday in Alpefjord, a national park 870 miles (1,400km) northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk, the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said.
After three failed attempts to free the ship, it was “successfully” pulled free by a fishing vessel, Tarajoq, at high tide.
SunStone Ships, the vessel’s owner, said the ship will be taken to a port to assess any damage, while the passengers will be flown home.
“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.
Before the rescue, the JAC had sent its larger inspection vessel, Knud Rasmussen, to the site, which was expected to arrive on Friday evening.
‘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, according to tracking data from MarineTraffic.com.
The ship has 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew.
There are also several restaurants, an infinity pool and a two-level lounge with a piano bar and panoramic windows at the bow of the ship, according to Ulstein, the company that built it.
The Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said the closest Danish navy ship was around 1,200 nautical miles (more than 2,000km or 1,380 miles) away, adding it was heading to the site and would not reach the grounded ship until Friday at the earliest.
A cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew on board has run aground in northwestern Greenland – and rescuers will not arrive until Friday at the earliest, authorities said.<br />
The Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in a national park 870 miles (1,400km) northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk, the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said.
“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 unfavourable,” JAC head of operations Commander Brian Jensen said in the statement.
He said the closest Danish navy ship was around 1,200 nautical miles (more than 1,380 miles or 2,000km) away – adding it was heading to the site and would not reach the grounded ship until Friday at the earliest.
“However, in this specific situation, we do not see any immediate danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring,” he added.
Authorities have been in contact with another cruise ship in the area and it has been asked to remain nearby to assist in case the situation changes.
The grounded cruise ship might also get free on its own when the tide is high, Greenland television KNR reported.
But later on Tuesday, the JAC said on its Facebook page the ship was still stuck despite the tide.
“Regardless, the most important thing for us is that everyone gets to safety,” Mr Jensen said.
Turku (Finland) (AFP) – With cruise bookings seeing a resurgence after the Covid pandemic caused luxury liners to mothball, a Finnish shipyard is putting the final touches on what will be the world’s largest cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean’s luxurious new vessel Icon of the Seas is nearing completion in the Turku shipyard on Finland’s southwestern coast, its maiden voyage scheduled for January 2024.
“This ship is as of today, as far as we are aware of, the biggest cruise ship in the world,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of shipbuilder Meyer Turku tasked with the construction.
While some have labelled the colossal structure a “monstrosity”, citing its vast climate footprint, others are in awe of the sophisticated engineering integrated into this floating holiday destination and flocking to buy tickets.
Resembling a village more than a ship, the mammoth vessel boasts colourful waterparks, more than 20 decks and can carry nearly 10,000 people.
A distinct feature of the new ship, which went into construction in 2021 and entered sea trials in June, is a gigantic glass dome that covers part of its front section.
The pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the industry, raising questions about whether it would ever recover.
The Cruise Lines International Association has predicted that passenger volume will surpass pre-pandemic levels with 31.5 million passengers in 2023.
“After the restrictions are gone and the situation has eased up, we are seeing that the market is coming back very strong,” Meyer said.
Bigger is better?
With a gross tonnage of 250,800 — five times the size of the Titanic — Icon of the Seas will snatch the title of the world’s largest cruise ship from Royal Caribbean’s current flagship, Wonder of the Seas.
Meyer Turku also has two more similar sized Icon-class vessels in their order books.
“We have seen over the last decade that cruise ships have become bigger,” said Alexis Papathanassis, professor of Cruise Management at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences.
Papathanassis noted that “there are obvious economic benefits” to mega-sized ships, reducing the cost of individual passengers.
With its seven pools, a park, waterslides, shopping promenades, ice skating rink and “more venues than any other ship”, larger vessels like the Icon of the Seas also offer more options for spending money on board.
This “in turn enables cruise companies to be more profitable,” he added.
The extra income is welcomed by the cruise lines — in order to survive Covid lockdowns the cruise lines “had to take a lot of credit” they now have to pay back.
“It’s going to be a challenging time with financial austerity for cruise companies,” Papathanassis said, adding that he expected ticket prices to rise.
What is too big?
While “the tendency towards increasing the size of the ship is not going to stop”, Papathanassis believes “it will certainly be slowed down”.
The reason behind this is not engineering but rather the financial equation.
“The bigger the ships are, the higher the investment cost and the required technology know-how. And technological know-how does not come cheap,” Papathanassis explained.
Similarly, larger vessels come with their own unique challenges, such as port overcrowding, he noted.
