The cruise ship Coral Adventurer, based in Cairns, has been detained by authorities after running aground in the South Pacific. Passengers have since been flown back home.

The ship struck a coral reef and became stranded near Papua New Guinea, approximately 30 kilometers from the city of Lae, early Saturday morning. This incident occurred during its maiden voyage following a passenger’s death.

Fortunately, none of the 80 passengers or 43 crew members sustained any injuries.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has taken the step of detaining the vessel, citing concerns about its seaworthiness.

“AMSA has detained the vessel under the Navigation Act 2012,” an official statement explained, “based on reasonable suspicion of unseaworthiness due to potential damage from the grounding, and deficiencies in the Safety Management System as per the International Safety Management Code.”

Coral Adventurer had previously insisted that there was no indication that there was damage to the ship. 

Today, passengers are beginning their travel home to Australia via a chartered flight to Cairns.

Australian and PNG authorities have been working to re-float the cruise ship, but efforts have been unsuccessful.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating and will conduct interviews and collect evidence once appropriate.

“In the meantime, data from the ship’s voyage data recorder has been quarantined, and investigators are collecting other relevant recorded information, including ship tracking data, weather information, and crew, operator and maintenance records,” the bureau said in a statement. 

The 12-night cruise, costing $13,280 per person, departed from Cairns on December 18 and reached Papua New Guinea on December 20.

It was cruising up the coastline before it ran aground on Saturday.

Coral Adventurer has faced troubled waters after the death of 80-year-old NSW tourist Suzanne Rees in October.

The cruise ship left her behind during a luxury trip to the remote Lizard Island, where she was later found dead by police.

Investigations into that event are ongoing.