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A luxury cruise ship is pulled free 3 days after running aground in Greenland

The Associated Press

The Ocean Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew, which had run aground in northwestern Greenland, is pictured on Tuesday SIRIUS/Joint Arctic Command/AP hide caption

The Ocean Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew, which had run aground in northwestern Greenland, is pictured on Tuesday

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer was successfully pulled free on Thursday, three days after running aground in Greenland with 206 people on board, authorities and the ship's owner said.

The ship was freed by a fisheries research vessel at high tide, said the cruise ship's owner, Copenhagen-based SunStone Ships, and the Joint Arctic Command, which coordinated the operation.

"There have not been any injuries to anybody onboard, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull," SunStone Ships said in a statement. The research vessel which pulled the cruise ship belongs to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, a government agency, it said.

It said the cruise ship and its passengers will now travel to a port where the damage to the vessel's bottom can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a location from where they can be flown home. There was no immediate comment from the tour company that organized the trip, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions.

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The cruise ship ran aground Monday above the Arctic Circle in Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland National Park, the world's northernmost national park. The park is nearly the size of France and Spain combined, and approximately 80% is covered by an ice sheet. Alpefjord is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which is nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the country's capital, Nuuk.

The Bahamas-flagged cruise ship has passengers from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. It has an inverted bow, shaped like the one on a submarine, 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew, and several restaurants.

Earlier Thursday, Aurora Expeditions said three passengers had COVID-19.

"These passengers are currently in isolation. They are looked after by our onboard doctor, medical team and crew, and they are doing well," it said in a statement. Others on the MV Ocean Explorer are "safe and healthy," it said.

Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald quoted a retiree from Australia who is on the ship, Steven Fraser, as saying: "Everyone's in good spirits. It's a little bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world."

Fraser told the newspaper that he had come down with COVID-19 on the ship.

Cmdr. Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command told Greenland broadcaster KNR that the ship is likely to go to Iceland, the closest place with large ports.

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"Now it is exciting to find out what the condition of the ship is," Jensen was quoted as saying by KNR. "They are in the process of investigating whether the ship is intact and seaworthy and ready to sail on."

The ship's owner said several other vessels had rushed to the scene "and offered their assistance, which however, was not needed." It said it had also "arranged additional tug assistance in case it was needed, however, this has now been canceled."

Dozens of cruise ships sail along Greenland's coast every year so passengers can admire the picturesque mountainous landscape, waterways packed with icebergs of different sizes and glaciers jutting out into the sea.

Danish broadcaster DR said there were 400 cruises in Greenland in 2022 and 600 cruises in 2023.

The Danish Maritime Authority asked police in Greenland to investigate why the ship ran aground and whether any laws had been violated, a police statement said, adding that no one has been charged or arrested. An officer has been on board the ship to carry out "initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board," it said.

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The cruise liner began its current trip on Sept. 2 in Kirkenes in Arctic Norway and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 22, according to SunStone Ships.

The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, including the Arctic Ocean in the north. Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faeroe Islands.

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A Luxury Cruise Ship, Stuck Off Greenland’s Coast for 3 Days, Is Pulled Free

The Ocean Explorer had been traveling toward Northeast Greenland National Park when it ran aground on Monday, officials said. The ship was pulled free on Thursday.

By Eduardo Medina

A luxury cruise ship that had been stuck for three days after running aground off the coast of Greenland was pulled free on Thursday morning, the authorities said.

The ship, the Ocean Explorer, had been carrying 206 passengers and crew members and was headed toward Alpefjord, in a remote corner of Greenland. The ship’s destination was the Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s northernmost national park, which is home to icebergs, glaciers and high mountains.

The Joint Arctic Command, which is part of Denmark’s defense forces, and SunStone Maritime Group , the coordinators of the rescue operation, said in statements on Thursday that the ship had been pulled free by a vessel named Tarajoq.

There were no reported injuries on board the ship, and there was no threat to the environment. The ship’s operator, Aurora Expeditions, a cruise company based in Australia, said in a statement on Thursday that “all onboard are safe” and that it appreciated “the patience and understanding of our passengers during this process.”

“We are waiting on the relevant authorities for advice regarding our next steps,” the company said.

The rescue came after an unsuccessful attempt on Wednesday, in which a fishing research vessel owned by the government of Greenland tried and failed to pull free the Ocean Explorer at high tide. Bad weather also slowed the government’s rescue operations, officials said.

Before the ship was freed, the Joint Arctic Command had said that “the crew and passengers are in a difficult situation, but after the circumstances, the atmosphere on the ship is good and everyone on board is fine.”

It was unclear what caused the ship to run aground near Greenland, which is part of Denmark but has autonomy over most domestic affairs. Officials said there were no indications that the ship had suffered serious damage to its foundation.

Cruises around Greenland have become increasingly popular with tourists seeking adventure and comfort aboard ships packed with amenities.The Ocean Explorer, built in 2021, was made to “travel to the world’s most remote destinations,” according to Aurora Expeditions’ website .

Prices for a 17-day expedition that tours Greenland start at more than $15,000 per person. The ship has a gym, a Jacuzzi and spacious suites that are 640 square feet, offering guests two large master bathrooms, one master bedroom and expansive views of the sea .

Photos of the stuck Ocean Explorer on Wednesday showed a blue-and-white ship floating in waters with frosted mountain peaks in the distance.

Extreme cold did not appear to be a major issue for stranded passengers on Wednesday: The temperature in the area was around 2.2 degrees Celsius, or about 36 degrees Fahrenheit, that night.

Jenny Gross contributed reporting.

Eduardo Medina is a reporter covering breaking news. More about Eduardo Medina

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Luxury cruise ship that ran aground in Greenland is freed after three days

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The luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer was “successfully” pulled free in Greenland on Thursday, three days after running aground with 206 people on board, authorities and the ship’s owner said.

The ship was freed by a fisheries research vessel at high tide, said the cruise ship’s owner, Copenhagen-based SunStone Ships, and the Danish Joint Arctic Command, which had been coordinating the operation .

“There have not been any injuries to anybody on board, no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull,” SunStone Ships said in a statement. The research vessel that pulled the cruise ship belongs to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, a government agency, it said.

It said the cruise ship and its passengers will travel to a port where the damage to the vessel’s bottom can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a location from where they can be flown home. There was no immediate comment from the tour company that organized the trip, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions.

The cruise ship ran aground above the Arctic Circle on Monday in Alpefjord, which is in Northeast Greenland National Park. The park encompasses almost as much land as France and Spain combined, and about 80% is permanently covered by an ice sheet . Alpefjord sits about 150 miles away from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which itself is nearly 870 miles from the country’s capital, Nuuk.

The Bahamas-flagged cruise ship has passengers from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Britain and the U.S. It has an inverted bow, shaped like the one on a submarine. It has 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew, and several restaurants.

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Earlier Thursday, Aurora Expeditions said that three passengers had COVID-19.

“These passengers are currently in isolation. They are looked after by our onboard doctor, medical team and crew, and they are doing well,” Aurora Expeditions said in a statement. The others on the MV Ocean Explorer are “safe and healthy,” it added.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted a retired Australian couple, Steven Fraser and Gina Hill, as saying there were “a lot of wealthy older people” on board.

“Everyone’s in good spirits. It’s a little bit frustrating, but we are in a beautiful part of the world,” Fraser told the paper, adding that he himself had come down with COVID-19 on the ship.

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Cmdr. Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command told Greenland broadcaster KNR that the ship is likely to go to Iceland, the closest place with large ports.

“Now it is exciting to find out what the condition of the ship is,“ Jensen was quoted as saying by KNR. “They are in the process of investigating whether the ship is intact and seaworthy and ready to sail on.”

The ship’s owner said several other vessels had rushed to the scene “and offered their assistance, which, however, was not needed.” It said it had also “arranged additional tug assistance in case it was needed — however, this has now been canceled.”

Dozens of cruise ships sail along Greenland’s coast every year for passengers to admire the picturesque, sometimes-barren mountainous landscape, with fjords and waterways packed with icebergs of different sizes and glaciers jutting out into the sea.

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Danish broadcaster DR said that there were 400 cruises in Greenland in 2022 and 600 cruises in 2023.

The Danish Maritime Authority asked police in Greenland to investigate why the ship ran aground and whether any laws had been violated. So far, no one has been charged or arrested. According to the daily, citing a police statement, an officer had been on board the cruise ship to carry out “initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board.”

The cruise liner began its latest trip Sept. 2 in Kirkenes, in Arctic Norway, and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 22, according to SunStone Ships.

The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faroe Islands and Greenland, including the Arctic Ocean in the north. Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faroe Islands.

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Cruise ship freed after being stranded in Greenland for days

More than 200 people were stranded on the ship until a fishing research vessel pulled it free.

A luxury cruise ship that had been stranded in remote Greenland since Monday was freed Thursday with an assist from a fishing research vessel, Danish authorities said.

The Joint Arctic Command, part of Danish defense forces, said in a statement that the expedition cruise ship was pulled free by the Tarajoq, which is operated by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. The Ocean Explorer, carrying 206 passengers and crew on a voyage to observe rugged glacial terrain, ran aground in an area advertised as the largest and northernmost national park in the world.

Authorities were notified Monday afternoon local time that the ship ran around in the Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland National Park, known for picturesque glaciers, icebergs and muskoxen that roam the coast. Authorities said there have been no injuries aboard the Ocean Explorer and the incident does not pose a threat to the environment.

However, three passengers have covid-19, according to Aurora Expeditions, an Australian-based cruise line that owns and operates the Bahamas-flagged ship. The cruise line said in a statement the passengers have been in isolation and were receiving treatment from its medical teams and crew members.

“All other passengers, Expedition team and crew remain safe and healthy,” Ocean Explorer officials said in a Wednesday statement.

In the days before the ship was freed, Danish authorities scrambled to find solutions, including contacting nearby ships and dispatching local units. In an update Arctic Command posted to Facebook on Wednesday, it said the Tarajoq had arrived but failed in an early attempt to pull the cruise ship free at high tide. The Arctic Command had also called for a patrol vessel to aid the recovery of the cruise ship, but it was not on schedule to arrive until Friday.

“There is a long way for immediate help, our units are far from that and the weather can be very unfavorable,” Captain Brian Jensen of the Arctic Command said in the statement, which was translated into English on Facebook. “Of course, we are following the situation closely and take this incident very seriously,” Jensen added.

The Ocean Explorer is designed for travel to remote destinations across the world, according to the company’s website . The company told AP in a statement its passengers and crew were not in danger, and ensuring a safe recovery was its “foremost commitment.”

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Rescue efforts underway for luxury cruise ship that ran aground in Greenland

Several Americans are onboard, according to the State Department.

LONDON -- A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 passengers has run aground off the coast of Greenland.

The Ocean Explorer, a 343-foot long and 60-foot wide ship, ran aground on Monday near Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park -- a 375,000-square-mile area that is the most northerly national park in the world.

There have been no reports of damage to the ship.

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"Arctic Command has been in contact with the cruise ship Ocean Explorer, which has stated that they are still grounded in the National Park," the Joint Arctic Command said in a statement posted on social media. "This means that the tide, which came during the day local time, did not provide the desired help to sail on. Arctic Command is still in contact with relevant ships in the vicinity, which could be able to help the cruise ship free."

Tarajoq, a Greenland Institute of Natural Resources fishing research ship, arrived at the site on Tuesday and attempted to pull the boat out. The attempt was unsuccessful.

Now the Knud Rasmussen, a Danish Navy ship, was headed to The Ocean Explorer for assistance.

"The crew in Knud Rasmussen is doing their best to get there as soon as possible. Due to the weather in the area where Knud Rasmussen is, the ship has had to slow down a bit," Joint Arctic Command said in a statement Wednesday.

The U.S. State Department confirmed there were "several" Americans onboard the cruise ship, but did not have further details.

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"Our staff in Greenland and Denmark, as well as here in the United States, are in contact with local authorities and other partner organizations," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.

The cruise ship -- belonging to Ulstein Group in Ulsteinvik, southern Norway -- had its maiden voyage only two years ago in 2021, according to AE Expeditions. It features a gym, jacuzzi and off-boat excursions and offers state-of-the-art amenities and “maximum passenger comfort," according to its website.

“Accommodating just 134 expeditioners, the Ocean Explorer was purpose-built for expedition travel to the world’s most remote destinations. This small ship is outfitted with the latest cutting-edge technology, sustainability and navigation capabilities,” AE Expeditions says on its website detailing the vessel.

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Meanwhile, authorities have been in contact with another cruise ship in the area and it had been asked to remain nearby to assist should the situation develop, according to AP, and rescue efforts are currently underway on multiple fronts.

"The most important thing for us is that everyone gets to safety," Jensen told the AP.

The National Park is so remote that only a limited number of people get the chance to visit each year, according to Greenland's tourist board, and more people summit Mount Everest every year than there are visitors in The Northeast Greenland National Park.

ABC News' Shannon Crawford contributed to this report.

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Cruise ship pulled free after running aground in Greenland

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A fishing vessel in Greenland will try to free a cruise ship that ran aground with 206 people

A view of the Ocean Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew, which has run aground in northwestern Greenland, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The 104.4-meter (343-foot) long and 18-meter (60 foot) wide Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park. It’s the world’s largest and most northerly national park and is known for icebergs and the musk oxen that roam the coast. According to authorities no one on board was in danger and no damage has been reported. (SIRIUS/Joint Arctic Command via AP)

An aerial photo shows the Ocean Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew, which has run aground in northwestern Greenland, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The 104.4-meter (343-foot) long and 18-meter (60 foot) wide Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park. It’s the world’s largest and most northerly national park and is known for icebergs and the musk oxen that roam the coast. According to authorities no one on board was in danger and no damage has been reported. (Danish Air Force/Joint Arctic Command via AP)

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A fishing vessel owned by Greenland’s government will attempt to use a high tide to pull free a Bahamas-flagged luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people that ran aground in the world’s northernmost national park, authorities said.

Capt. Flemming Madsen of the Danish Joint Arctic Command told The Associated Press that the passengers and crew on the ship stranded in northwestern Greenland were doing fine and ”all I can say is that they got a lifetime experience.”

The scientific fishing vessel was scheduled to arrive later Wednesday and would attempt when the conditions were right to pull the 104.4-meter- (343-foot) long and 18-meter- (60-foot) wide MV Ocean Explorer free.

The cruise ship ran aground above the Arctic Circle Monday in Alpefjord, which is in the Northeast Greenland National Park. The park covers 972,000 square kilometers (603,973 square miles), almost as much land as France and Spain combined, and approximately 80% is permanently covered by an ice sheet , according to the Visit Greenland tourism board.

Alpefjord sits in a remote corner of Greenland, some 240 kilometers (149 miles) away from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which itself is nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the country’s capital, Nuuk.

The Ocean Explorer’s crew made two failed attempts to get the ship to float free on its own during high tide.

In a statement, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions, which operates the ship, said the passengers and crew members were safe and well and that there was “no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel, or the surrounding environment.”

“We are actively engaged in efforts to free the MV Ocean Explorer from its grounding. Our foremost commitment is to ensure the vessel’s recovery without compromising safety,” the statement said.

Dozens of cruise ships sail along Greenland’s coast every year so passengers can admire the picturesque mountainous landscape with fjords, musk oxen, and the waterways packed with icebergs of different sizes and glaciers jutting out into the sea.

Madsen, of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command, said the passengers on the Ocean Explorer were “a mix” of tourists from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, the United States and South Korea. Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faeroe Islands.

The people onboard “are in a difficult situation, but given the circumstances, the atmosphere on the ship is good, and everyone on board is doing well. There are no signs that the ship was seriously damaged by the grounding,” the Joint Arctic Command said Wednesday.

The weather in the region Wednesday featured sun, a clear blue sky and a temperature around 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the Danish Meteorological Institute.

The Ocean Explorer was built in 2021 and is owned by Copenhagen SunStone Ships, which is part of Denmark’s SunStone Group. It has an inverted bow, shaped like the one on a submarine. It has 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew, and several restaurants, according to the Sunstone Group website.

The Joint Arctic Command said there were other ships in the vicinity of the stranded cruise liner and “if the need arises, personnel from the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol can be at the accident site within an hour and a half.”

On Tuesday, members of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance and enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness, visited the passengers and explained the situation, “which calmed them down as some were anxious,” Madsen, who was the on-duty officer for the Joint Arctic Command, said.

The command, which was coordinating the operation to free the cruise ship, said the nearest Danish navy ship was about 1,200 nautical miles (more than 2,000 kilometers or 1,380 miles) away. It was heading to the site and could be expected to reach the grounded ship as soon as Friday.

The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, including the Arctic Ocean in the north.

This version has been corrected to show the cruise ship is owned by a Danish group, not Norwegian.

Watch CBS News

Cruise ship that touts its "navigation capabilities" runs aground in Greenland with more than 200 onboard

By Li Cohen

September 13, 2023 / 9:04 AM EDT / CBS News

The Ocean Explorer expedition has been touted as a cruise ship "purpose-built for expedition travel to the world's most remote destinations," complete with "cutting-edge technology" and its "navigation capabilities." 

But on Tuesday, it ran aground in a national park in northeast Greenland . 

The Joint Arctic Command said the ship grounded in Alpefjord, part of the Northeast Greenland National Park, the world's largest national park, on Tuesday. According to Greenland travel site Visit Greenland , the remote area is an area considered an " Arctic Desert " because annual rainfall is so low. 

There was no damage to the vessel that could cause a risk to the environment. 

"A cruise ship in trouble in the National Park is of course worrisome," Arctic Command Commander Capt. Brian Jensen said in a statement, adding, however, that the units available to help were not able to do so immediately and that the weather in the area can be "unfavorable," according to a translation. "... In the specific situation, however, we do not see acute danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring." 

The closest ship available to help the vessel can be there no sooner than Friday morning, assuming the weather holds up, the command said, but officials said they were in contact with another cruise ship to standby should they be needed. 

As of Wednesday morning Eastern time, the cruise ship was still grounded, officials said.

The Ocean Explorer is among an "award-winning Infinity-class of vessels," according to Aurora Expeditions , which offers excursions on the vessel. According to the company, the Ocean Explorer is meant to accommodate 134 expeditioners. The Joint Arctic Command says that when they came across the vessel, there were 206 people onboard. 

The ship was designed with luxury, offering "state-of-the-art amenities," including an onboard gym, jacuzzi, lounges, a spa, an atrium, a library and more. 

While officials said the situation remains "difficult," they've "gained assurance that the crew and passengers of Ocean Explorer are in good condition," according to a translation. 

"The atmosphere on the ship is good and everyone on board is fine," the Joint Arctic Command said on Facebook . 

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Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.

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Cruise ship runs aground in Greenland with 206 passengers onboard

There are no reports of injuries on the Ocean Explorer, which was grounded in the remote Northeast Greenland National Park

A cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew onboard has run aground in north-west Greenland , and remained stuck even after high tide.

Cmdr Brian Jensen of Denmark ’s Joint Arctic Command said that nobody on board was in danger and that no damage has been reported, but added that officials “take this incident very seriously”.

“Our units are far away, and the weather can be very unfavourable,” he said in a statement.

The closest Danish navy ship was about 1,200 nautical miles (1,380 miles or 2,200km) away, he said, adding it was heading to the site and could be expected at the grounded ship as soon as Friday.

The 104-metre (343ft) long and 18-metre wide Ocean Explorer ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park. It is the world’s largest and most northerly national park and is known for icebergs and the musk oxen that roam the coast.

Authorities have been in contact with another cruise ship in the area and it had been asked to remain nearby to assist should the situation develop. The other cruise ship was not identified.

The grounded cruise ship might also get free on its own when the tide is high, Greenland television KNR reported. “Regardless, the most important thing for us is that everyone gets to safety,” Jensen said.

Later on Tuesday the Joint Arctic Command said on its Facebook page that the ship was still stuck despite the tide.

“There are still no reports that human life or the environment is in acute danger,” it added.

The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faroe Islands and Greenland, two semi-independent territories that are part of the Danish realm.

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Cruise ship pulled free after being stuck in mud for three days in remote Greenland

A luxury cruise ship that ran aground this week in a remote part of Greenland with 206 people on board has been pulled free by a fishing trawler. 

Key points:

• The ship ran aground 1,400km from Greenland's capital Nuuk
• 260 people, including 85 Australians, are aboard the ship
• It was pulled out by the fishing trawler that first failed in its first attempt to do so a day earlier

The Ocean Explorer cruise vessel had been stuck for three days in mud and silt in the Alpefjord national park, some 1,400 kilometres north-east of Greenland's capital Nuuk.

"We have just successfully become free now. … We are absolutely elated," Gina Hill, an Australian passenger on board the ship, told Reuters on Thursday.

The Ocean Explorer leaned to the side during the operation and passengers were not allowed to go outside, Ms Hill said.

Aboard the ship are 85 Australians, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said.

The Danish military's Joint Arctic Command confirmed that the ship had been pulled free by the Tarajoq, a trawler and research vessel that made a failed attempt to do so a day earlier.

The Ocean Explorer will be taken to a port to assess any damage, while the passengers will be flown home, said SunStone Maritime Group, which owns the vessel.

"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.

Sydney-based Aurora Expeditions, which chartered the ship and organised the cruise, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Greenland, a semi-sovereign territory of Denmark in the North Atlantic Ocean with a population of 57,000, attracts tourists with its rugged landscape and a vast ice cap that covers much of the island.

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Expedition cruise ship carrying 206 freed after running aground in Greenland

An expedition cruise ship that got stuck in a remote part of Greenland with hundreds of people on board was freed Thursday.

The Ocean Explorer ship was pulled loose by research vessel Tarajoq, which is run by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources , the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command said on Facebook .

The vessel ran aground earlier this week in Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park. The tide previously failed to free the ship, the Joint Arctic Command said on Tuesday.

Operator Aurora Expeditions said that all on board are safe and there is no environmental damage. "We are waiting on the relevant authorities for advice regarding our next steps," the company said in an emailed statement.

"We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the management and team of the Tarajoq vessel, for assisting us during this challenging time, and our team who have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and comfort of our passengers," the statement continued. "We also sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding of our passengers during this process. We remain committed to assisting them as the situation progresses."

Photos shared by Joint Arctic Command on Facebook earlier in the week showed the ship – which is carrying 206 passengers and crew members – on calm water in sunny weather conditions. Officials said there is no evidence the ship had suffered serious damage as a result of the grounding.

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Denmark’s Danish Maritime Authority has asked police in Greenland to investigate why the ship ran aground and whether any laws had been violated, a police statement said, adding that no one has been charged or arrested. An officer had been on board the ship to carry out “initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board,” it added.

The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faroe Islands and Greenland, including the Arctic Ocean in the north. Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faroe Islands.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].

Over 200 people are stuck in a remote part of Greenland after their luxury cruise ship ran aground. Their rescuers in the Arctic say the 'nearest help is far away.'

• Aurora Expeditions' Ocean Explorer cruise ship is stuck in Greenland after running aground.
• The luxury cruise was carrying 206 passengers when it was grounded.
• Denmark's Joint Arctic Command said the earliest its closest ship can arrive is Friday.

A luxury cruise carrying 206 passengers is now stuck in a remote part of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, after it ran aground.

"On Monday afternoon West Greenlandic time, the Arctic Command received a message that the cruise ship Ocean Explorer was grounded in the Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland, and that the ship is not immediately able to be freed by its own help," Denmark's Joint Arctic Command said in a statement on Tuesday.

Brian Jensen, the head of operations for the Joint Arctic Command, said in the statement that the situation "is of course worrisome."

"The nearest help is far away, our units are far away, and the weather can be very unfavorable," Jensen said. "However, in this specific situation, we do not see any immediate danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring."

"Of course, we are following the situation closely and take this incident very seriously," he continued.

According to the Joint Arctic Command's statement on Tuesday morning, their closest ship, the inspection vessel Knud Rasmussen, is approximately 1,200 nautical miles away from the Ocean Explorer.

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The Joint Arctic Command said the earliest the Knud Rasmussen might reach the Ocean Explorer is Friday morning local time.

Satellite view of the Ocean Explorer – the cruise ship aground in the Alpefjord (East Greenland) with 206 people on board – as seen by @CopernicusEU Sentinel-2 yesterday. Not a very friendly place to be stuck at, but the good news is that the fjord is largely free of icebergs. pic.twitter.com/HV7KwiPvzS — Bert Wouters (@bert_polar) September 12, 2023

The Joint Arctic Command said it has asked a nearby cruise ship to remain in the area to provide assistance in case the situation changes.

Jensen also outlined a few scenarios in which the Ocean Explorer could be dislodged.

"They can either try to get out on their own help when the tide becomes high, they can get help from a nearby cruise ship, they can get assistance from Knud Rasmussen, or they can get help of one of our collaborators," Jensen said.

But the Joint Arctic Command also noted in a subsequent statement that the Ocean Explorer was still stuck after a tide came in.

A representative for Aurora Expeditions, the cruise ship's operator, told Insider that everyone on board the vessel was safe and well.

"We are actively engaged in efforts to free the MV Ocean Explorer, from its grounding," the representative said. "Our foremost commitment is to ensure the vessel's recovery without compromising safety."

Representatives for the Joint Arctic Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.

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Norwegian cruise ship with 206 people onboard runs aground in Greenland

The ship has made two failed attempts to float free on its own when the tide is high., by jan m. olsen | associated press • published september 13, 2023 • updated on september 13, 2023 at 10:12 am.

Authorities said Wednesday that a fishery vessel will attempt to use the high tide to pull free a Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship carrying 206 people that ran aground in northwestern Greenland .

Capt. Flemming Madsen from the Danish Joint Arctic Command told The Associated Press that those on board were doing fine and ”all I can say is that they got a lifetime experience.”

A scientific fishing vessel owned by the Greenland government was scheduled to arrive later Wednesday and together with the high tide would attempt to pull the 104.4-meter (343-foot) long and 18-meter (60 foot) wide MV Ocean Explorer free.

The cruise ship, 104.4 meters (343 feet) long and 18 meters (60 feet) wide, ran aground on Monday in Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park — the world’s largest and most northerly national park, known for icebergs and the musk oxen that roam the coast.

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The Alpefjord sits in a remote corner of Greenland, some 240 kilometers (149 miles) away from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit which is nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from Nuuk, the Greenland capital, and across from the ice sheet that covers the world’s largest island.

Dozens of cruise ships sail along Greenland’s coast every year so that passengers can admire the picturesque mountainous landscape with fjords, the waterways packed with icebergs of different sizes and glaciers jutting out into the sea.

In a statement, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions which operates the ship, said that all passengers and and crew onboard were safe and well and that there was “no immediate danger to themselves, the vessel, or the surrounding environment.”

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“We are actively engaged in efforts to free the MV Ocean Explorer from its grounding. Our foremost commitment is to ensure the vessel’s recovery without compromising safety," the statement said.

Madsen said the passengers were “a mix” of tourists from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, the United States and South Korea.

The people onboard “are in a difficult situation, but given the circumstances, the atmosphere on the ship is good and everyone on board is doing well. There are no signs that the ship was seriously damaged by the grounding,” the Joint Arctic Command said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, members of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance and enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness, paid them a visit and explained the situation “which calmed them down as some were anxious,” said Madsen who was the on-duty officer with the Joint Arctic Command.

Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faeroe Islands.

The Joint Arctic Command said Wednesday that there were other ships in the vicinity of the stranded cruise liner and “if the need arises, personnel from the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol can be at the accident site within an hour and a half.”

The command said the nearest Danish navy ship, the patrol ship Knud Rasmussen, was about 1,200 nautical miles (more than 2,000 kilometers or 1,380 miles) away. It was heading to the site and could be expected to reach the grounded ship as soon as Friday.

The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faeroe Islands and Greenland.

Based in Nuuk, the command oversees the waters around the Faeroe Islands in the east and the sea around Greenland, including Arctic Ocean in the north, and has three larger patrol ships of the Knud Rasmussen class that have a landing platform for helicopters, although the ships do not have choppers.

The ships’ tasks include fisheries inspections, environment protection, search and rescue, sovereignty enforcement, icebreaking, towage and salvage operations and carry out police tasks.

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Nbc news now, cruise ship runs aground in greenland with hundreds aboard.

A cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew ran aground in northwestern Greenland. Officials say rescue crews are on their way but warn it could take days before they arrive. NBC News' Rehema Ellis shares the latest. Sept. 14, 2023

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Commercial fishing vessel refloated after running aground in Hauraki Gulf

• Isobel Ewing

Watch: A commercial fishing vessel has run aground at The Noises, in the Hauraki Gulf. Credits: Newshub

A commercial fishing vessel that ran aground at The Noises, in the Hauraki Gulf, in the early hours of Monday morning has been refloated.

The incident happened just before 3:45am and there are no reports of injury among the 27 on board.

An Auckland Transport (AT) spokesperson said they had spoken with the Harbourmaster who was inbound to Auckland.

In an update, the harbourmaster said the vessel has been re-floated and is being assessed for damage. 

Tug boats could be seen at the scene helping with the recovery.

If given the all-clear, it will be able to resume its journey to Auckland.

Auckland Transport said it had not identified any oil spillage.

Police have asked the public to stay away from the area.