CNN
—
Morale on a cruise ship stranded in Greenland remains high despite the coronavirus outbreak and several failed attempts to free the ship.
The Ocean Explorer, carrying 206 people, ran aground in a remote part of Greenland earlier this week and could be stranded for several days.
Aurora Expeditions, the travel agency that operates the ship, announced on Thursday that three passengers on board had been infected with the new coronavirus. Aurora Expeditions said the infected passenger is currently in isolation and all other passengers are healthy and safe.
Cruise ship passenger Lis told CNN affiliate Nine News that he feels the coronavirus situation is “contained” and that his biggest fear at the moment is running out of alcohol. .
“That’s the biggest concern I have,” she said.
But if that happens, she has a backup plan.
“I took swimming lessons before I came here and I’m a good swimmer,” Rhys said. “So be careful. You might end up swimming back to Iceland.”
The Ocean Explorer ran into trouble on Monday in the Alpefjord, a dramatic and rugged stretch of northeast Greenland national park, and has been unable to extricate itself, Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (JAC) said in a statement. .
“This means that the tides that came during the day local time did not provide the desired aid to navigation,” the JAC statement said.
Travel company Aurora Expeditions announced Wednesday that all passengers were “safe and healthy.”
“Importantly, there is no immediate danger to the vessel, the vessel or the surrounding environment,” Aurora Expeditions said in a statement.
After the incident, the closest inspection vessel, the Knud Rasmussen, was dispatched to assist. According to the statementHowever, they faced a journey of 1,200 nautical miles (approximately 2,222 kilometers) to reach the cruise ship.
The ship is scheduled to arrive at Ocean Explorer on Friday evening.
“Once we realized that the Ocean Explorer would not be able to escape on its own, we immediately dispatched ships to the wreck,” said Arctic Commander Brian Jensen.
“We plan to fly over the site as soon as possible to obtain new images that will help us assess the situation at the site,” he continued.
“We have also secured the support of other vessels in the vicinity in case assistance is required.”
Jensen said it’s possible Ocean Explorer will resurface at high tide, but if that doesn’t happen, the Knud Rasmussen will assist.
“We are actively engaged in efforts to free the MV Ocean Explorer from aground. Our first priority is to ensure recovery of the vessel without compromising safety,” Aurora Expeditions said. Dishons said.
At high tide on Wednesday, the Greenland government-owned fishing research vessel Tarahok tried unsuccessfully to dislodge the cruise ship, JAC confirmed to CNN on Wednesday.
The Greenlandic government, the Danish Maritime Authority and the Danish Accident Investigation Board were informed of the initial incident, JAC said.
Danish military officials said all 206 people on board the cruise ship were “in good spirits” on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the Danish military on Wednesday.
According to the ship, the ship was “built for expedition travel to the world’s most remote destinations.” Official website For aurora expedition.
CNN’s Tamara Hardingham Gill also contributed to this article.