Coral Adventurer Cruise Ship Stuck on Papua New Guinea Reef, Passengers to Fly Home Early
December 29, 2025
An Australian cruise ship, Coral Adventurer, remains stuck on a reef off Papua New Guinea despite rescue efforts. The ship ran aground on Saturday morning near Lae, about 30km off the coast. It carried 80 passengers and 44 crew. Thankfully, there were no injuries. All passengers were safely brought to Papua New Guinea.
A tug boat arrived on Sunday to help pull the ship free. Attempts to refloat it have not worked. The tour operator, Coral Expeditions, said on Monday they have decided to end the tour. "Acknowledging that we have not been able to deliver the exceptional experience expected by our guests on this occasion, Coral Expeditions has decided to end the tour," said their spokesperson. All passengers will be flown home on a charter flight.
The company said they are working with local authorities to refloat the vessel. Initial checks show no damage to the ship. More inspections will follow after the ship is off the reef. The PNG National Maritime Safety Authority said the ship was first reported stuck at about 6.57am local time on Saturday. At that time, the ship was sitting on a coral reef, leaning six degrees to the port side. There was no visible damage.
Passengers are expected to fly back to Cairns, Australia, where the ship had started its voyage on December 18, possibly as early as Tuesday.
The Coral Adventurer was already under investigation due to a separate incident in October. Then, a passenger named Suzanne Rees, 80, from Sydney, was reportedly left behind on Lizard Island during an excursion and later found dead. The crew noticed she was missing when she did not come for dinner. After a search, her body was found on October 26. The cruise company ended that tour early and flew all passengers home.
Read More at Theguardian →
Tags:
Coral Adventurer
Papua New Guinea
Cruise Ship Grounding
Passenger Death
Ship Rescue
Coral Expeditions
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