An Australian cruise ship has run aground on a coral reef off the coast of Papua New Guinea, leaving dozens of passengers stranded but unharmed.
Ship Stuck North of Port Moresby
The Australian-flagged vessel, the Coral Adventurer, became stuck approximately 30 kilometres north of Port Moresby at around 6 am on Saturday. The ship had departed from Cairns on 18 December 2025 and was sailing towards Madang as part of its 'Frontier Lands of Papua New Guinea' cruise itinerary.
According to ship-tracking data, there are 80 passengers and 44 crew members on board. The passengers are reported to be from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Israel.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has confirmed the grounding and stated it is on standby to assist if required. Authorities have confirmed that no injuries have been reported among those on the vessel.
Rescue Plans and Tidal Challenges
An AMSA medical advisor, Dr Paul Luckin, indicated that passengers and crew will likely remain on board until the ship can be refloated or until a safe evacuation can be arranged.
"I would expect that the people will sit it out and wait until either the ship is refloated or until they can be lifted off the vessel," Dr Luckin told Sunrise. "I would think that having to resort to aerial evacuation is likely to be very unlikely. So taking the people off should be a fairly straightforward, fairly safe, fairly routine thing."
The rescue operation is dependent on tidal conditions, with authorities currently assessing the best course of action to free the vessel.
Second Incident for Coral Adventurer in Months
This grounding incident follows another tragic event involving the same cruise liner just months earlier. In October 2025, the Coral Adventurer was involved in the highly publicised death of passenger Suzanne Rees, 80.
The Australian woman was left behind on Lizard Island after a day excursion, with the cruise line allegedly unaware she had not returned to the ship. Although the vessel returned several hours later, Rees was found dead during searches the following day.
The current cruise was scheduled to conclude on 30 December 2025. The focus for now remains on the safe recovery of all passengers and crew from the reef.
