Cruise Ship Grounds in Papua New Guinea Following Controversial Incident

Sun Dec 28 2025 11:49:57 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The Coral Adventurer cruise ship has run aground on its first trip since a tragic incident where an elderly passenger was left alone on an island and subsequently died.

The Coral Adventurer, a cruise ship, has grounded off the coast of Papua New Guinea on December 28, 2025, just days after the company faced backlash over the death of 80-year-old Suzanne Rees, who was left behind on an island. While initial inspections indicate no significant damage to the vessel and all passengers reported safe, investigations are ongoing concerning both incidents involving the ship.

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, a spokesperson for the ship said.

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 will take place on Sunday.

In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said they had not received a distress call from the Coral Adventurer. It added they were monitoring the situation and would support PNG authorities if necessary.

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

The Coral Adventurer is currently the subject of a joint investigation by AMSA and Queensland Police after the death of Suzanne Rees, the 80-year-old passenger who was found dead on Lizard Island on 26 October. Ms Rees had been hiking on the island with fellow passengers but broke off from the group for a rest. The ship left without her and returned several hours later after the crew realized the woman was missing. A major search operation found her body the following day.

The ship was just two days into a 60-day voyage at the time of Ms Rees's death. The remainder of the cruise was canceled with full refunds offered to all passengers.

The CEO of Coral Expeditions, Mark Fifield, said that the company was deeply sorry that this has occurred and had offered its full support to the Rees family. Fifield added that the cruise operator was working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. AMSA was not able to comment on the status of the investigation and told the BBC that it was not in the practice of making the results of its investigations public.