The luxury cruise ship that ran aground in a remote Arctic area of Greenland and had been stuck there since Monday is once again afloat.
The Ocean Explorer was dragged free by a fishing research vessel owned by Greenland’s government, Denmark’s military’s Joint Arctic Command said in a brief Facebook statement on Thursday.
“The ship came afloat again and they are now checking the hull for any damage and stability, and then awaiting further directives from the relevant authorities,” Frigg Jorgensen, an executive director at the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators, said in an interview from Reykjavik.
“No damage has been reported and no pollution has been reported so far,” she said.
The Ocean Explorer became stuck around midday on Monday, and three attempts in as many days to free the vessel had failed. The ship has about 200 people on board, including passengers primarily from Australia. It was wedged on the muddy seabed in the Alpefjord, roughly 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) northeast of Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.
The vessel’s plight underscored the hazards of tourism in Arctic areas, where distances are vast and help often days away. Still, the majestic scenery of icebergs and the chance to spot rare creatures, such as polar bears, has attracted a growing numbers of tourists.