Coral Adventurer accidents and incidents

27 December 2025Ship Grounding

On December 27, 2025, Coral Adventurer ran aground on a coral reef off the coast of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, abruptly terminating its current itinerary and prompting a multinational investigation.

The affected voyage departed homeport Cairns on December 18th, and was scheduled to return to Cairns on December 30th. The 12-day itinerary had scheduled visits to several coastal destinations in Papua New Guinea.

The accident occurred at approximately 05:25 local time (~19:25 UTC) near Dregerhafen Point (off Finschhafen Coast), ~90 km/~55 mi north of Morobe’s capital, Lae. While navigating through Morobe, Madang and Sepik provinces, the ship encountered strong currents and struck a reef that local mariners typically avoid due to shallow coral formations.

The ship was carrying 80 passengers and 43 crew members. No physical injuries were reported.

Initial vessel inspections indicated no hull breach and water ingress.

Passengers remained on the grounded vessel for several days as local authorities and Coral Expeditions attempted to refloat it. Initial attempts using the ship’s engines were unsuccessful, and a tugboat from Lae was dispatched on December 28th, later followed by a larger tow asset. Those efforts succeeded on December 30th, when Coral Adventurer was refloated and anchored offshore.

Following tender boat disembarkation from the ship, passengers were transported by a small boat (MV Ialibu) to Lae. From Lae, they were flown home to Australia (Cairns) by a  charter flight (arranged by Coral Expeditions), marking an early termination of the cruise.

Authorities in both Papua New Guinea and Australia have launched formal inquiries.

The Papua New Guinea National Maritime Safety Authority and local police were actively involved in immediate response and subsequent investigations at the grounding site.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) detained the Coral Adventurer under the Navigation Act 2012, citing “reasonable suspicion” that the vessel may be “not seaworthy” due to potential hull damage and concerns about its Safety Management System compliance with the **International Safety Management (ISM) Code.” 

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau opened an investigation, securing data from the ship’s Voyage Data Recorder, reviewing tracking, weather, and operational records, and interviewing crew and relevant personnel.

According to Coral Expeditions, initial underwater inspections didn't identify significant hull damage. The affected passengers were offered full refunds or FCCs/future cruise credits.

25 October 2025Crew / Passenger Deaths

On October 25, 2025, an 80-year-old female passenger was found deceased on Lizard Island (Australia), following a shore excursion from Coral Adventurer. The incident occurred during the scheduled call to the island, situated ~320 km/~200 mi north of Cairns, Queensland.

Reportedly, the elderly woman (Suzanne Rees, from Sydney NSW) joined a guided hike tour to Cook’s Look, the island’s highest point. During the ascent, she informed the group that she was unable to continue and would return to the ship alone. Later, Coral Adventurer left the island, unaware that the woman had not reboarded. That evening, an onboard search effort was launched after the discrepancy was discovered. The body was recovered the following day (Oct 26th).

The incident raised questions about supervision and passenger-tracking procedures during shore-based activities. Under the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) regulations, commercial passenger vessels are required to maintain systems ensuring that masters/captains can account for every guest at any given time.

The incident occurred in the beginning of the 60-night "Australia Circumnavigation Cruise" (itinerary October 17-December 16) from Cairns to Darwin.