Cruise Ship Grounded in Papua New Guinea Following Fatal Incident

Sun Dec 28 2025 15:20:47 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The Coral Adventurer, a cruise ship, has run aground on its first voyage since an elderly passenger was tragically left behind and found dead on an island.

The Coral Adventurer cruise ship has become a focal point of controversy after running aground in Papua New Guinea. This incident follows a previous tragedy where an 80-year-old passenger, Suzanne Rees, was left on an island and later found dead. All 123 passengers and crew aboard the ship are safe, and the hull has shown no significant damage. Investigations are ongoing as authorities monitor the situation closely.

A cruise ship has run aground in Papua New Guinea (PNG), on its first trip following the death of an elderly passenger in late October.

The Coral Adventurer is currently under investigation for the death of Suzanne Rees, 80, who died on a remote Australian island after being left behind by the ship.

On Saturday, the vessel suffered a 'grounding incident' off the eastern coast of Papua New Guinea, around 30km (18 miles) from the city of Lae, according to a spokesperson for the ship.

All passengers and crew aboard the cruise ship have been reported safe, and initial inspections have not revealed any damage to the hull. Further inspections are expected to take place on Sunday.

In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) confirmed that they had not received a distress call from the Coral Adventurer. They added that they are monitoring the situation and will support PNG authorities if necessary.

No decisions have been made about the current 12-day voyage, which was scheduled to conclude on 30 December. At the time of the incident, there were 80 passengers and 43 crew members aboard the ship.

The Coral Adventurer is the subject of a joint investigation by AMSA and Queensland Police following the death of Suzanne Rees, who was found dead on Lizard Island on 26 October after being left behind by the ship.

Ms. Rees had been hiking with fellow passengers when she separated from the group to rest. The ship left without her and returned several hours later upon realizing she was missing. A major search operation located her body the following day.

The incident occurred just days into a 60-day voyage, and the remainder of the cruise was subsequently cancelled with full refunds offered to passengers.

Mark Fifield, CEO of Coral Expeditions, expressed deep regret over the situation and stated that the company was fully supporting the Rees family and cooperating with the investigation by authorities.

AMSA has not commented on the current status of the investigation, emphasizing that the results are typically not made public.