NEW DELHI: A luxury cruise ship that was stranded in remote Greenland with over 200 people on board has been pulled free by a trawler, Reuters reported quoting Denmark‘s armed forces.
The Ocean Explorer cruise vessel ran aground on Monday and had been been stuck in mud and silt since then, some 1,400 km (870 miles) northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk.
After freeing the ship, Denmark’s armed forces and the cruise ship’s operator said there were no injuries among the passengers or crew.
Earlier attempts to free the cruise had failed.
The passengers onboard the cruise are primarily from Australia. Notably, at least three passengers on board had tested positive for Covid-19, further stoking concerns when it got stuck.
Aurora Expeditions, the ship’s Sydney-based operator, specializes in polar trips, including a 30-day cruise costing more than $33,000 (A$51,000) per person for viewing wildlife, such as polar bears, beluga whales and walruses, according to the its website.
The ship has an inverted bow, shaped like the one on a submarine, 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew, and several restaurants.
Greenland, like many Arctic countries, is becoming increasingly concerned about the logistics of mounting expensive rescue operations in remote areas.
The number of cruise ships around the world’s largest island has jumped 50% in the past year to 600, Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command said by phone. Last year, the Joint Arctic Command did one medical evacuation and so far this year it has done five, he said.
The Ocean Explorer cruise vessel ran aground on Monday and had been been stuck in mud and silt since then, some 1,400 km (870 miles) northeast of Greenland’s capital Nuuk.
After freeing the ship, Denmark’s armed forces and the cruise ship’s operator said there were no injuries among the passengers or crew.
Earlier attempts to free the cruise had failed.
The passengers onboard the cruise are primarily from Australia. Notably, at least three passengers on board had tested positive for Covid-19, further stoking concerns when it got stuck.
Aurora Expeditions, the ship’s Sydney-based operator, specializes in polar trips, including a 30-day cruise costing more than $33,000 (A$51,000) per person for viewing wildlife, such as polar bears, beluga whales and walruses, according to the its website.
The ship has an inverted bow, shaped like the one on a submarine, 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew, and several restaurants.
Greenland, like many Arctic countries, is becoming increasingly concerned about the logistics of mounting expensive rescue operations in remote areas.
The number of cruise ships around the world’s largest island has jumped 50% in the past year to 600, Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command said by phone. Last year, the Joint Arctic Command did one medical evacuation and so far this year it has done five, he said.