A refloated cruise ship is being assessed for seaworthiness after it ran aground off Papua New Guinea, stranding its 80 passengers and 43 crew for days.
None of those aboard the Australian-registered Coral Adventurer were injured when it hit a reef off the Finschaffen Coast, east of the PNG city of Lae early on Saturday.
Initial efforts to haul the ship off the reef failed but it was refloated on Tuesday afternoon after the arrival of a powerful tug from Lae, engaged by the ship's operators, the NRMA-owned Coral Expeditions.
"I can confirm the ship was refloated yesterday afternoon. All passengers have been flown back to Cairns and are on their way home," a company spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.
The passengers were taken off the ship and conveyed by boat to Lae to catch a chartered flight to Cairns.
The ship was anchored nearby the grounding site and was undergoing further inspections, which will determine next steps, the spokesperson said.
"Initial inspections by certified divers found no significant damage to the vessel's hull."
Pending the outcome of investigations the Coral Adventurer would return to Cairns, the spokesperson said.
"Coral Expeditions sincerely regrets the grounding of its vessel and apologies to our passengers for the disruption they experienced."
The company has offered passengers refunds for the affected leg of the journey or credits for future travel.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) investigations are under way into the grounding.
The safety agencies will determine if the vessel is seaworthy following the grounding.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said investigators would conduct interviews and collect evidence and data.
"The extent of any damage to the ship's hull is not known but water ingress is not reported," he said on Monday.
The ship was heeled over about six degrees to port and initial efforts to refloat it using its own engines were unsuccessful, as were efforts by a first tug sent from Lae.
The grounding follows a previous mishap involving the Cairns-based vessel on October 25 when 80-year-old passenger Suzanne Rees died after allegedly being left behind on Lizard Island in far north Queensland.
Ms Rees had been hiking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers but broke off from the group after feeling unwell.
She never returned to the ship, which left the island but returned hours later once the crew realised Ms Rees was missing.
Rescue services recovered her body the next day and the rest of the cruise was cancelled.
AMSA is investigating that incident, with head count practices and staffing levels under scrutiny.
