Expedition cruise ship carrying 206 freed after running aground in Greenland

An expedition cruise ship that got stuck in a remote part of Greenland with hundreds of people on board was freed Thursday.

The Ocean Explorer ship was pulled loose by research vessel Tarajoq, which is run by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command said on Facebook.

The vessel ran aground earlier this week in Alpefjord in the Northeast Greenland National Park. The tide previously failed to free the ship, the Joint Arctic Command said on Tuesday.

Operator Aurora Expeditions said that all on board are safe and there is no environmental damage. "We are waiting on the relevant authorities for advice regarding our next steps," the company said in an emailed statement.

"We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the management and team of the Tarajoq vessel, for assisting us during this challenging time, and our team who have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and comfort of our passengers," the statement continued. "We also sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding of our passengers during this process. We remain committed to assisting them as the situation progresses."

Photos shared by Joint Arctic Command on Facebook earlier in the week showed the ship – which is carrying 206 passengers and crew members – on calm water in sunny weather conditions. Officials said there is no evidence the ship had suffered serious damage as a result of the grounding.

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Denmark’s Danish Maritime Authority has asked police in Greenland to investigate why the ship ran aground and whether any laws had been violated, a police statement said, adding that no one has been charged or arrested. An officer had been on board the ship to carry out “initial investigative steps, which, among other things, involve questioning the crew and other relevant persons on board,” it added.

The primary mission of the Joint Arctic Command is to ensure Danish sovereignty by monitoring the area around the Faroe Islands and Greenland, including the Arctic Ocean in the north. Greenland is a semi-independent territory that is part of the Danish realm, as are the Faroe Islands.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for Paste BN based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.