Luxury cruise ship pulled free days after getting stuck off Greenland's coast, authorities say
LONDON -- A luxury cruise ship carrying 206 people has been pulled free days after it got stuck off the coast of Greenland, authorities said.
The Joint Arctic Command, which is part of Denmark’s defense forces, announced in a social media post on Thursday that the ship, named the Ocean Explorer, was finally pulled free at high tide in Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.
The 343-foot long and 60-foot wide vessel, which is operated by Australia-based cruise company Aurora Expeditions, was traveling toward a remote corner of Greenland on Monday when it ran aground above the Arctic Circle near Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park, the northernmost national park in the world.
The Greenland Institute of Nature's research ship Tarajoq, which unsuccessfully tried to free the cruise ship Wednesday, managed to pull the Ocean Explorer free, the Joint Arctic Command said.
"We’re really happy that it went so well and that the passengers and crew of the ship can now see an end to the difficult situation they’ve been in for the last few days," Commander Captain Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command, said in a statement.
The cruise ship is now sailing to a port maintained by Maritime Accident Investigation Board for further inspection, the Joint Arctic Command said.
The SunStone Maritime Group, which chartered Aurora Expeditions for the trip, said in a statement that no one was injured during the incident. There was "no pollution of the environment and no breach of the hull," the statement said.
"The vessel and its passengers will now be positioned to a port where the vessel’s bottom damages can be assessed, and the passengers will be taken to a port from which they can be flown back home," the company said.
Previous attempts to free the stranded ship on Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful.
It was unclear why the vessel ran aground, and the incident will remain under investigation, officials said.
ABC News' Jon Haworth, Will Gretsky and Emma Ogao contributed to this report.
