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By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA

Published: 00:40 GMT, 31 December 2025 | Updated: 01:24 GMT, 31 December 2025

An embattled cruise ship has been detained by authorities several days after the vessel ran aground off Papua New Guinea during a luxury Christmas cruise. 

The Coral Adventurer struck a coral reef about 30km off the coast of Lae, PNG's second biggest city, early on Saturday, after leaving Cairns on December 18. 

The latest crisis comes just two months after an Australian grandmother died after being left behind on a stopover on a remote island in October. 

Eighty passengers and 43 crew were on a 12-night Christmas voyage from Cairns in Far North Queensland when the vessel became stranded. 

Passengers, who paid more than $13,000 each, were flown back to Cairns on Tuesday after the ship spent three and a half days stuck on the reef. 

'The vessel was refloated yesterday afternoon and is currently anchored nearby while they undertake further inspections,' a company spokesman told Daily Mail.

The vessel has been detained by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority on 'reasonable suspicion that it is not seaworthy due to potential damage sustained during the grounding'. 

Coral Adventurer was on its first voyage since the death of NSW grandmother, Suzanne Rees, 80, who was left behind on Lizard Island during a stopover on a $80,000-a-ticket circumnavigation of Australia in October.

80 passengers spent three days stranded on the Coral Adventurer after the ship 

The Coral Adventurer (above) has been detained by authorities following the latest incident

Suzanne Rees, 80, died after being left behind on Lizard island during a Coral Adventurer cruise around Australia

Ms Rees had been hiking to the summit of the Great Barrier Reef island's highest peak but turned back after becoming too tired to continue.

She failed to re-board the ship, with serious questions were raised about the five-hour delay in launching a search for the missing grandmother. 

Multiple investigations by authorities into the tragedy continue.

Meanwhile, Australian Transport Safety Bureau officials will travel to PNG on Wednesday to interview the stranded ship's captain and crew. 

'There are a number of different agencies who will be looking into this,' ATSB commissioner Angus Mitchell told the Today show on Wednesday.

'But we're focused on working out exactly what happened and what lessons can be learnt. Obviously, with 80 people in the middle of a cruise, it wasn't an ideal way to finish a Christmas cruise.'