Overview
- More than 120 passengers and crew were evacuated from the grounded expedition ship and returned to Cairns on a charter flight after a transfer by passenger boat.
- A large tug from Lae refloated the Coral Adventurer on Tuesday evening, and the vessel was anchored nearby for inspections.
- The Australian Maritime Safety Authority detained the ship on a reasonable suspicion it is not seaworthy due to potential grounding damage.
- The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has quarantined the ship’s voyage data recorder and is collecting tracking, weather, crew and maintenance records.
- No injuries were reported; authorities cited strong sea currents near Finschhafen, and the incident follows an October passenger death and reported mechanical issues that are under separate scrutiny.