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.'
Danish Air Force/Arctic Command
- 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 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.
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.