Cruiseship grounded east of Spitsbergen

A cruiseship ran aground off the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard on Wednesday, just east of the island of Spitsbergen.

The expedition vessel Antarctic Dream, with about 130 passengers on board, called for help around 11am. The grounding occurred near Alkefjellet in the Hinlopen Straits east of the Arctic islands, reports Svalbardposten.no

Petter Braaten of the local sheriff's office said there was no damage to ship and that neither the vessel nor its passengers and crew were in danger.

Any grounding, however, sparks environmental concerns. A rescue vessel was trying to free the vessel Wednesday afternoon.

The Antarctic Dream has been operated by Antarctic Shipping SA of Santiago, Chile, and makes trips from South America to the Antarctic during the winter season. The vessel, formerly known as the Piloto Pardo, has been sailing around Svalbard this summer, and had an expected return to Longyearbyen on Monday.

Aftenposten English Web Desk/NTB