Table Of Content
However, an excursion last Wednesday with six other people to São Tomé and Príncipe, an island nation of some 220,000 people off West Africa, took an unfortunate turn. The cruise liner began its current trip on 2 September in Kirkenes in Arctic Norway and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on 22 September, according to SunStone Ships. There was no immediate comment from the tour company that organised the trip, Australia-based Aurora Expeditions. Jensen told Greenland broadcaster KNR that the ship is likely to go to Iceland, the closest place with large ports. The Joint Arctic Command is a joint operational territorial command of the Danish Defence operating in Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Investigations
The cruise liner began its current trip on Sept. 2 in Kirkenes in Arctic Norway and was due to return to Bergen, Norway, on Sept. 22, according to SunStone Ships. Cmdr. Brian Jensen of the Joint Arctic Command told Greenland broadcaster KNR that the ship is likely to go to Iceland, the closest place with large ports. There is a follow-up to this post, with the ship now safely docked back at Taino Bay while damage is being assessed. It added that the deadline to return was "communicated broadly" over the ship's intercom, in printed communications, and on posts shown at the exits of the ship. The Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement provided to BI by email that eight guests on the tour missed the last tender back to the vessel.
What will happen to the cruise ship passengers now?
The ship was designed with luxury, offering "state-of-the-art amenities," including an onboard gym, jacuzzi, lounges, a spa, an atrium, a library and more. "Now it is exciting to find out what the condition of the ship is," Jensen was quoted as saying by KNR. "They are in the process of investigating whether the ship is intact and seaworthy and ready to sail on." Officials hope Norwegian Escape, stranded off the north coast of the Dominican Republic, can be refloated at high tide. The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, including the Arctic Ocean in the north. Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faeroe Islands.
Cruise ship runs aground in Greenland with hundreds aboard - NBC News
Cruise ship runs aground in Greenland with hundreds aboard.
Posted: Wed, 13 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Safety regulations
As well as protecting the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark in the Arctic Region, it carries out search and rescue missions, research and pollution prevention tasks in the region. With the closest Danish Defence ship over 2,000km away at the time of the incident, help was not expected to arrive until Friday evening. PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – Norwegian Cruise Line canceled a third straight sailing of its ship out of Port Canaveral after it ran aground in the Dominican Republic earlier this month. The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faroe Islands and Greenland, including the Arctic Ocean in the north. Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faroe Islands. The Ocean Explorer ship was pulled loose by research vessel Tarajoq, which is run by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command said on Facebook.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Bahamas-flagged Norwegian cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew has run aground in northwestern Greenland, authorities said Tuesday, adding that no one on board was in danger and no damage has been reported. A cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew onboard has run aground in north-west Greenland, and remained stuck even after high tide. Denmark’s Danish Maritime Authority has asked police in Greenland to investigate why the ship ran aground and whether any laws had been violated, a police statement said, adding that no one has been charged or arrested. An officer had been on board the ship to carry out “initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board,” it added.
As of Wednesday morning Eastern time, the cruise ship was still grounded, officials said. On Monday, Norwegian Escape, which ran aground in Puerto Plata, the Dominican Republic, was finally freed. It has an inverted bow, shaped like the one on a submarine, 77 cabins, 151 passenger beds and 99 beds for crew, and several restaurants. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines.
Media
"We also sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding of our passengers during this process. We remain committed to assisting them as the situation progresses." The closest ship available to help the vessel can be there no sooner than Friday morning, assuming the weather holds up, the command said, but officials said they were in contact with another cruise ship to standby should they be needed. Norwegian Cruise Line said the ship’s hull sustained “minor damage” but no guests or crew were harmed.
Situation on the bridge
Alpefjord is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which is nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the country's capital, Nuuk. Costa Concordia was declared a "constructive total loss" by the cruise line's insurer, and her salvage was "one of the biggest maritime salvage operations". On 16 September 2013, the parbuckle salvage of the ship began, and by the early hours of 17 September, the ship was set upright on her underwater cradle. In July 2014, the ship was refloated using sponsons (flotation tanks) welded to her sides, and was towed 320 kilometres (200 mi) to her home port of Genoa for scrapping, which was completed in July 2017. The cruise ship ran aground Monday above the Arctic Circle in Alpefjord in Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s northernmost national park. Alpefjord is about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the closest settlement, Ittoqqortoormiit, which is nearly 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the country’s capital, Nuuk.
The Bahamas-flagged cruise ship has passengers from Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. A passenger told News 6 the ship was freed and docked back at the pier at the Dominican Republic. The cruise was then canceled and passengers on board had to fly home on a charter flight from Norwegian Cruise Lines.
“There are still no reports that human life or the environment is in acute danger,” Joint Arctic Command said. Passengers were escorted off for “tourist activities” while officials inspected the ship for damage. The Norwegian Escape had just left the dock in Puerto Plata Monday afternoon when the ship made contact with a channel bed, Norwegian Cruise Line told Fox News in a statement. Local media reported there were around 3,000 tourists and 1,600 crew members on board. There are also scheduled calls to Tortola on march 16 and Great Stirrup Cay on March 18 before returning home on March 19.
While officials said the situation remains "difficult," they've "gained assurance that the crew and passengers of Ocean Explorer are in good condition," according to a translation. The Joint Arctic Command said the ship grounded in Alpefjord, part of the Northeast Greenland National Park, the world's largest national park, on Tuesday. According to Greenland travel site Visit Greenland, the remote area is an area considered an "Arctic Desert" because annual rainfall is so low.
According to local media, the ship is the Norwegian Escape, with some 3,000 tourists and 1,600 crew on board. Following the conclusion of the righting operation, the ship was kept on the platform while further inspections were made and the starboard sponsons attached. In a first step to prevent pollution of the shore and assist in a refloat the ship, its oil and fuel tanks were emptied. Norwegian Escape is a large cruise ship with 164,600 gross tons and a guest capacity of over 4,200 at double occupancy, along with 1,730 international crew members. According to an announcement made onboard, there will be an attempt to free the vessel at high tide on Tuesday morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment