Expedition ship runs aground in Greenland

[hallasm]

The expedition ship Ocean Explorer has 206 people on board and ran aground in Alpefjord near Mestersvig in East Greenland on Monday afternoon. The ship cannot free itself.
The Danish Arctic Command has sent the nearest inspection vessel, Knud Rasmussen, towards the cruise ship, the passengers must arm themselves with patience before help arrives - the inspection vessel must travel 1,200 nautical miles, which corresponds to more than 2,200 kilometers on the open sea, before arriving to the rescue.
The vessel can arrive at the ship on Friday morning local time at the earliest.

Ocean Explorer is currently being chartered by Australian cruise operator Aurora Expeditions

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by hallasm

[hallasm]

The Danish defense arctic special force, Sirius, has today had personnel on board the cruise ship Ocean Explorer, which is still grounded.
Sirius reports that both passengers and crew on board are safe. Should the need arise, Sirius can be at the Ocean Explorer within an hour and a half. There is no news yet on plans to have the ship pulled free.

This is according to Denmark's Arctic Command.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for the info, please keep us updated.

[hallasm]

Image of Ocean Explorer on the Greenlandic coast (Alpefjord.

Photo credit: Danish Air Force / Arctic Command

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for sharing the photo.  It looks so peaceful, I hope the weather stays calm.

[hallasm]

27 minutes ago, puppycanducruise said:

I hope the weather stays calm.

Unfortunately, over the next few days, there are strong low pressures on the way that can make the rescue operation risky.

Small yellow boats are Sirius Patrol.

 

photo: Sirius / Arctic Command

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by hallasm

[hallasm]

It is reported that Ocean Explorer pulled free early this morning in Alpefjord in East Greenland.
It was done on a pull from the vessel TARAJOQ (Greenland research vessel) and Ocean Explorer's own power.

 

The ship will now sail to a port where the damage to the bottom of the ship can be assessed and the passengers will be taken to a port from where they can be flown home.

Edited September 14, 2023 by hallasm

[puppycanducruise]

Good news.  Thanks.

[hallasm]

It is a serious problem with the many cruise ships at Greenland with long distances and limited resources.
There are 600 reported cruise visits to Greenland this year, compared to 400 last year.
Each ship with more passengers than most cities in Greenland.
Denmark's Arctic Command does not have the necessary resources to move out quickly. There are long distances. It can take days to reach distressed ships from the sea side. Faster with helicopter, but very small capacity.
It is Arctic Command's task to assist if a passenger becomes so ill that he or she must be transported to a hospital ashore. So far this year, there have been five cases of evacuation by helicopter or boat.
And the capacity for a rescue operation of a cruise ship with 4-6,000 passengers is not present if a major accident occurred.

[Nitemare]

Good points, @hallasm.  I expect there will be fees charged to cruiseships by the government to fund better rescue resources.  I only hope it comes BEFORE there is a tragedy and not after.

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, Nitemare said:

I expect there will be fees charged to cruiseships by the government to fund better rescue resources.

So do I. With the increasing number of cruise ships, greater demands should be placed on the shipping companies and they should perhaps pay a fee to sail in Greenlandic waters. As a minimum, the shipping companies should have insurance that both pays for being towed free and for bringing sick passengers ashore.
Today, it is Denmark that pays when, for example, a tourist on a cruise ship in Greenlandic waters becomes so ill that they have to be evacuated to a hospital in Greenland or when a ship runs aground.

But even if the Danish Arctic Command had twice as many units as today, the distances would still be great, and there would still be a response time of several days for assistance from the sea side. Evacuating a single patient by helicopter or boat is a much simpler and faster operation.