Ialobu was itself at the centre of a grounding incident when it was driven ashore by high winds and strong currents on Kampalop Beach at Siassi Island,

CORAL Expeditions has arranged the repatriation of passengers stranded by the grounding of expedition ship Coral Adventurer, arranging evacuation via PNG coastal, RO - PAX. Lutheran Shipping’s 499GT Ialobu took all 80 passengers off Coral Adventurer, which remains on a reef it struck at around 0525 local time on Saturday [27 December] in the waters of Morobe Province during passage between Lae and Wewak.

An investigation into the grounding off the Finschaffen Coast

Ialobu was expected to reach Lae by early afternoon local time, where passengers will embark on a charter flight to return them to the 12-day cruise’s port of origin, Cairns. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau  (AMSA ) yesterday announced it had launched an investigation into the grounding off the Finschaffen Coast, 30 km east of Lae, between Kumbam and Nussing islands.

The Navigation Act 2012

Last night, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA )  confirmed it had detained the vessel in accordance with the Navigation Act 2012, “based on reasonable suspicion that it is not seaworthy due to potential damage sustained during the grounding, and that it is substandard as a result of failures in the implementation of its Safety Management System under the International Safety Management Code.” “AMSA is working closely with the operator, the vessel’s Classification Society and the National Maritime Safety Authority-PNG,” it said.

Season-high tidesattempt

Pacific Towing initially despatched the Lae (and ex-Howard Smith Melbourne) tug Macedon to assist with a ‘natural’ refloat of the cruise ship, but a more powerful tug, Langila (ex Rich & Smith’s Turmoil of Port Adelaide), was later standing by Coral Adventurer. According to local reports, authorities and salvors are awaiting season-high tides before making another attempt, with the ship’s hull still said to be intact.

Initial inspections

“To date, initial inspections indicate no damage to the vessel, with further comprehensive inspections of the hull and marine environment to be conducted as standard procedure once the vessel is refloated,” a Coral Expeditions spokesperson said. “There have been no injuries to any passengers or crew members.”

Ialobu : Other a grounding incident

Ironically, Ialobu was itself at the centre of a grounding incident when it was driven ashore by high winds and strong currents on Kampalop Beach at Siassi Island, Morobe Province, in early March 2022, with 132 passengers aboard. The ship was acquired from Philippine interests in early 2019 and has since operated regular coastal passenger services from Lae.

Incidents of the Coral Adventurer

It is noteworthy that The Coral Adventurer was carrying 80 tourists into the remote reaches of Papua New Guinea when it came to an abrupt halt on a reef off the Pacific nation's coast.

It was about 90 kilometres from the city of Lae, PNG's second-largest city, when it hit strong sea currents and ran aground on the coral reef. the 93 metre-long ship and its 120 people aboard stranded in the remote waters of Papua New Guinea.

Passengers and the ship's 43 staff escaped injury  — but despite efforts to refloat the Coral Adventurer, it remains stuck off the coast of PNG nearly four days later.

Related : Oceanographic vessel runs aground on Elba Island (VIDEO)

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