Luxury cruise ship in Arctic freed after three test positive for COVID

21 Sep 2023 CW Team

The 341-foot cruise luxury cruise ship stranded for days in the freezing Arctic after running aground off the coast of Greenland was finally freed amid fears of a potential COVID-19 outbreak on board. The Ocean Explorer, carrying 206 passengers and crew, got stuck in the mud a few days ago in the waters about 870 miles from Greenland’s capital Nuuk. A fishing research vessel managed to dislodge the liner, whose mostly elderly passengers had paid $33,000 for the 21-day cruise.
Three people aboard the Ocean Explorer who had tested positive for COVID-19 were placed in isolation. They are currently recuperating.
The Ocean Explorer’s crew made two failed attempts to get the vessel to float free on its own during high tide — fuelling fears that it would be stranded for an extended period of time. The nearest Danish navy vessels were days away and bad weather delayed an inspection of the ship from arriving until Friday evening at the earliest. However fishing vessel Tarajoq, owned by Greenland’s government, managed to help pull the massive cruise ship out of the mud and silt that had immobilised it. The vessel and its passengers will now be positioned to a port where the vessel’s bottom damages can be assessed and the passengers will be taken to a port from which they can be flown back home

Technology

29 Jul 2026

AI-Enabled Workflows Lift Profitability and Productivity

Organisations modernising frontline workflows with artificial intelligence, automation and real-time data are reporting stronger financial performance, higher productivity and improved employee engagement, according to a global study by Zebra Technologies and Oxford Economics.The research covered 1,000 senior leaders across retail, manufacturing, transportation and logistics in the US, Mexico, the UK, Germany, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.In transportation and logistics, 54 per cent of companies that improved picking and packing operations reported faster operational performance, wh..

India Leads Global AI Readiness but Implementation Lags

Indian companies lead global averages across all eight artificial intelligence readiness indicators tracked by JLL, but only 19 per cent have started making changes to their workplaces, according to the JLL 2026 Future of Work Survey.The study found that 77 per cent of Indian business leaders expect AI to change their office requirements, creating a 58-percentage-point gap between awareness and implementation. The survey covered more than 2,200 CEOs, CFOs and real estate leaders across 21 countries during the first quarter of 2026.Despite concerns over automation, 58 per cent of Indian leaders..

Three WOLFF Cranes Build Riyadh Cable-Stayed Bridges

Three WOLFF 180 B luffing jib cranes are supporting the construction of two cable-stayed bridges alongside the existing Wadi Laban Bridge in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The project is being developed for the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and executed by the ICRC joint venture comprising IC Ictas and Al Rashid Trading & Contracting Company.The cranes are handling lifting operations including formwork, reinforcement, concrete placement, work platforms, surveying equipment and other construction materials. Each crane is fitted with a 40 m jib, reaches a hook height of 157 m and offers a maximum ..