The Coral Adventurer, which small ship line Coral Expeditions operates, is currently under investigation over the death of Suzanne Rees, 80, who died on an Australian island after being left behind by the ship.

On Saturday (27 December), just over two months' after the tragedy, the vessel suffered a "grounding incident" off the eastern coast of PNG around 30 kilometres from the city of Lae.

The line confirmed passengers and crew members were safe and well following the incident but it continues to work with local authorities to "refloat the Coral Adventurer".

"To date, initial inspections indicate no damage to the vessel, with further comprehensive inspections of the hull and marine environment to be conducted as standard procedure once the vessel is refloated," the line added.

It confirmed it had decided to end the sailing early and every passenger would be flown out of PNG on a charter flight. TTG understands the cruise had been scheduled to end on Tuesday (30 December).

According to the BBC, there were 80 passengers and 43 crew members on the ship at the time of the incident.