A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 passengers and crew is stranded at a remote national park in Greenland, with the nearest rescue vessel days away.
Here’s What Happened
More than 200 passengers will be trapped aboard a luxury cruise ship until at least Friday after it ran aground in a remote part of Greenland Monday afternoon and crew attempts to free the vessel from a bed of sediment, silt, and sand have been unsuccessful so far.
The Ocean Explorer ran aground in Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland National Park, about 870 miles northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk.
It is the world’s largest and most northerly national park and is known for icebergs and the musk oxen that roam the coast.
Personnel from the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, an elite Danish naval unit, have boarded the ship to assess the situation.
“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,” JAC head of operations, Commander Brian Jensen, said in the statement Tuesday.
All passengers onboard are “safe and well,” tour agency Aurora Expeditions, the operator of Ocean Explorer, said on Wednesday.
“Importantly, there is no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel, or the surrounding environment,” reads a statement from Aurora Expeditions.
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