By Doug Dingwall, ABC News
The Coral Adventurer ran aground on Saturday near Papua New Guinea's second-largest city, Lae. Photo: Facebook / Coral Expeditions
Australian cruise ship the Coral Adventurer has run aground off the coast of Papua New Guinea with more than 120 people aboard, two months after the death of a passenger allegedly left behind on a Great Barrier Reef island.
The ship ran aground early on Saturday morning about 30 kilometres from PNG's second-largest city, Lae, in Morobe Province, however the vessel's operator says its 80 passengers and 43 crew members were not injured.
7News reports that 80 passengers from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Israel are aboard.
"All passengers and crew are safe," a spokesperson for Coral Expeditions said in a statement.
"An initial inspection indicates no damage to the vessel.
"The incident has been reported to authorities and will undergo further official inspections to the hull and marine environment as a standard procedure."
It is understood local authorities are inspecting the vessel and working with Coral Expeditions to refloat it.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it did not receive a distress call from the Coral Adventurer but was aware it had run aground.
"AMSA is currently monitoring the situation and is ready to support PNG authorities if requested," a spokesperson said in a written statement.
PNG's national broadcaster NBC reported on Sunday that police in Morobe confirmed the Coral Adventurer was grounded en route to Madang Province and the Sepik River after it encountered strong sea currents.
Authorities will inspect for damage to coral reefs at Dreghafen Point, where the ship ran aground, according to NBC.
Ship on regulator's radar after 80yo's death
The Coral Adventurer has been under investigation after the death of 80-year-old tourist Suzanne Rees on the Great Barrier Reef's Lizard Island earlier this year.
AMSA officers and a Coral Expeditions representative boarded the ship's tender in October to investigate her death.
Rees was found dead on the island on Sunday, 26 October, after starting an escorted hike to the island's lookout the previous day.
Her family said they were told she felt unwell and turned back without anyone to assist her.
Witnesses report that the Coral Adventurer left the island on the evening of Saturday, 25 October, before returning late that night to conduct a search after Rees was found to be missing.
Coral Expeditions later cancelled a 60-day voyage following Rees' death and after encountering mechanical problems.
Coral Expeditions, owned by the NRMA, runs three small ships: the Coral Adventurer, the Coral Geographer and the Coral Discoverer.
On the day of the incident at Lizard Island, the Coral Adventurer was on its first stopover of the 60-day trip.
AMSA said last month it would examine why Rees may not have been accounted for during boarding.
The regulator said it would assess any noncompliance and take any necessary action.
Operators of commercial passenger vessels are required to have procedures to monitor passengers, including headcounts, so no-one is left behind.
- ABC w/RNZ
