Cruise Ship Stuck: Passengers Head Home Early

A cruise ship got stuck on a reef in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on Saturday.

The Coral Adventurer, an Australian ship, was traveling through Morobe, Madang, and Sepik provinces when it hit strong currents and ended up on the reef. Everyone on board is safe, but the ship is stuck and tilting to the left.

Trip Cut Short

The ship's owner, Coral Expeditions, decided to cut the trip short. Passengers and crew will fly back to Australia from Cairns.

Previous Incidents

This is not the first time the Coral Adventurer has had problems. Earlier this year, it left an elderly woman behind on a remote island. Her body was found the next day, and an investigation is still ongoing.

Authorities' Response

PNG authorities say the ship is not damaged and there's no pollution. But they issued a detention notice, meaning the ship can't leave until everything is checked. Attempts to pull the ship off the reef using its engines and a tugboat didn't work.

Unusual Route

The ship's route was unusual. Local operators usually avoid this area because the reef is very high. Coral Expeditions has been running tours to PNG for about 20 years. They have not commented yet.