Investigation under way after embattled cruise ship runs aground on first trip since passenger's death
Updated . First published
Authorities have launched an investigation after an embattled Cairns-based cruise ship ran aground while sailing around the South Pacific.
The vessel ran into trouble on Saturday morning, during its first trip back at sea after the death of an 80-year-old passenger on Lizard Island in October.
Australian-flagged vessel, the Coral Adventurer, hit a coral reef and ran aground off the Papua New Guinea coast at about 5.25am, around 30 kilometres from the city of Lae.
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Coral Adventurer ran into trouble off the Papua New Guinea coast during its first trip back at sea, after the death of an 80-year-old passenger on Lizard Island. 9News
No injuries were reported from the 123 aboard including 80 passengers and 43 crew.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said in a statement an investigation was under way.
"The ATSB is not involved with the ship's recovery operations but is continuing to monitor the situation as part of its investigation," Mitchell said.
"The ATSB will attend the ship to conduct interviews and collect evidence and data once appropriate.
"In the meantime, data from the ship's voyage data recorder has been quarantined and investigators are collecting other relevant recorded information, including ship tracking data, weather information, and crew, operator and maintenance records."
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Coral Adventurer ran into trouble off the Papua New Guinea coast during its first trip back at sea, after the death of an 80-year-old passenger on Lizard Island. 9News
The PNG Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre also confirmed an officer has boarded the vessel and is helping.
Crews were waiting for high tide to help re-float the ship, to assess if there's any damage.
It's been troubled waters for the luxury cruise ship that's already navigated a turbulent two months after it made headlines in October.
Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old New South Wales tourist, was found dead on remote Lizard Island several hours after being left behind by the Coral Adventurer.
The tragedy ultimately sparked several investigations, including by the AMSA and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, which remains ongoing.
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Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old New South Wales tourist, was found dead on remote Lizard Island several hours after being left behind by the Coral Adventurer. 9News
This latest 12-night cruise, which costs $13,280 per person, departed from Cairns on December 18, reaching Papua New Guinea last Saturday on December 20.
It's then been cruising up the coastline over the past week before this latest bungle happened on December 27.
Passengers were due to disembark on December 30.
Coral Expeditions responded on Saturday evening, saying an initial inspection has found no damage to the vessel and further investigations will be undertaken.
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