AMSA Detains Coral Adventurer Cruise Ship After PNG Grounding

PAPUA NEW GUINEA : The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has officially detained the Cairns-based cruise ship Coral Adventurer, citing “reasonable suspicion” that the vessel is unseaworthy following its weekend grounding on a coral reef in Papua New Guinea.

The 123 people on board—comprising 80 passengers and 43 crew—remained uninjured throughout the ordeal, but their luxury $13,280-per-head holiday was cut short as they were ferried to the mainland today to board a chartered flight back to Cairns.

Despite initial claims from the operator that the vessel was undamaged, AMSA took swift action under the Navigation Act 2012.

“AMSA has detained the vessel… based on reasonable suspicion that it is not seaworthy due to potential damage sustained during the grounding, and that it is sub‑standard as a result of failures in the implementation of its Safety Management System,” the authority stated.

After several unsuccessful attempts over the weekend, experts managed to re-float the vessel early Monday morning. The ship is currently anchored in safe waters near Lae, where it is undergoing a rigorous technical inspection to determine the extent of the hull damage.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has confirmed that the ship’s voyage data recorder (VDR) has been quarantined. Investigators are currently gathering tracking data, weather reports, and maintenance records to understand why the vessel struck a reef 30km off the coast of Lae in the early hours of Saturday morning.