Luxury Cruise Ship Runs Aground In Greenland

A rescue operation is underway after a luxury cruise ship with 206 passengers ran aground in Northeast Greenland National Park on Monday (September 11). The Ocean Explorer is stuck in a remote part of Greenland, with the nearest ship days away.

Denmark's Joint Arctic Command said that an inspection ship has been dispatched, but it is 1,200 nautical miles away and won't arrive until Friday at the earliest. However, there is another cruise ship in the area, and officials have asked it to remain nearby in case it is needed to assist in the rescue operation.

Luckily, there were no injuries reported.

"A cruise ship in trouble in the national park is obviously a worry. The nearest help is far away, our units are far away, and the weather can be very unfavorable," Joint Arctic Command head of operations, Commander Brian Jensen, said in a statement. "However, in this specific situation, we do not see any immediate danger to human life or the environment, which is reassuring."

Officials hope that when the tide rolls in, the increased water level could be enough to refloat the vessel and get it moving again.