A cruise ship ran aground during its inaugural journey after a previous passenger death incident.
The Coral Adventurer, an Australian cruise vessel, was carrying 120 passengers when it struck a reef off Papua New Guinea’s coast on Saturday morning, December 27.
Coral Expeditions, the cruise operator, confirmed there were no injuries as a result of the grounding.
“Coral Adventurer had a grounding incident in coastal Papua New Guinea yesterday. All passengers and crew are safe,” stated a company spokesperson.
“An initial inspection indicates no damage to the vessel. The incident has been reported to authorities and will undergo further official inspections to the hull and marine environment as a standard procedure.”
Passengers from the ship are reportedly in Papua New Guinea as efforts are made to move the ship into deeper waters and inspect the hull.
This incident comes amid an investigation into the death of 80-year-old Suzanne Rees in October, who was reportedly left on a secluded island.
Rees, a retired mother from New South Wales, Australia, had been hiking on Lizard Island with other travelers but had separated from the group to rest.
The ship allegedly departed without her after she failed to return on board.
Her body was discovered by rescue helicopter personnel the next day, with Queensland Police Service describing her death as ‘sudden and non-suspicious’.
Speaking with The Australian, Rees’ daughter Katherine commented: “We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and mom fell ill on the hill climb.
“She was asked to head down, unescorted. Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count.
“At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, mom died, alone.
“I hope that the coronial inquiry will find out what the company should have done that might have saved mom’s life.”
Mark Fifield, CEO of Coral Expeditions, announced that the cruise had been canceled due to the ‘tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues’.
He stated that passengers would receive refunds and that efforts were underway to arrange return trips for passengers via chartered flights.
In an earlier statement, Fifield said: “Coral Expeditions can confirm the tragic death of a passenger on the Coral Adventurer during an excursion to Lizard Island in Queensland.
“On Saturday, October 25, the crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea.
“Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland Police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island.”
LADbible Group previously reached out to Coral Expeditions for comments.