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Auspicious start to Antarctic tourist season
November marks the beginning of the tourist season in the icy waters off the coast of Antarctica. It is mid-spring down south, and travelers with a sense of adventure, and plenty of cash, are heading to the frozen continent to get the opportunity to visit one of the last true frontiers on the planet, and possibly get a glimpse of Emperor Penguins while they're in the neighborhood too. The past few years have been challenging ones for Antarctic cruise ships. In 2007, the MS Explorer sunk after hitting an iceberg, and last year two more ships ran aground while maneuvering through the treacherous waters. Fortunately no one was hurt in those incidences, although the sinking of the Explorer did create an ecological disaster when tens of thousands of gallons of fuel were released into the water.
With the 2009 tourist season barely underway, there has already been in incident in the Weddell Sea, off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, where a Russian icebreaker called the Captain Khlebnikov became trapped by ice for the better part of two days. The ship, which carries roughly 100 passengers, found itself stuck behind large icebergs when winds shifted, causing the ice to close all access to open waters. While the boat was never in any real danger, it was unable to continue along its intended route, preventing those aboard from following their intended itinerary.
Late yesterday, the winds shifted once again, and the Captain Khlebnikov was allowed to return to its scheduled route. It is now estimated that it'll be three to four days late getting back to port, but will make its appointed rounds, allowing the passengers to get their close encounter with the penguins after all.
Hopefully this will be the only incident in the Antarctic waters this season. In the greater scheme of things, it was a rather minor issue, but as ship traffic increases at the bottom of the world, and more people travel there, the chances of a true disaster striking, seems to be almost inevitable.
Filed under: Antarctica, Cruises
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
William Thirteen Nov 19th 2009 9:49AM
i know you have your hands full over there warding off errant icebergs and battling pesky penguins but, just to note, you've spelled 'auspicious' incorrectly in the title.
Hagan Nov 19th 2009 12:27PM
And it's "Craig" not "Kraig." Seriously, what's with this site today . . .
;-)
Kraig Nov 19th 2009 12:28PM
LOL! Thanks for the correction! I'll let my parents know! ;)
Steve Nov 20th 2009 10:50AM
Hi, Kraig:
I wanted to make a few comments on your posting earlier today:
There is no evidence that most of the fuel aboard the Explorer was released during or after the vessel's sinking. I agree that it's not doing anyone any good sitting down there at the bottom of the Southern Ocean, but what was released during the mishap quickly evaporated (as light-grade marine gas oil) before touching any shore. There have been no sighting of oil or gas slicks or seepage in the months or years following the November 2007 sinking.
According to the Liberian flag-state report on the incident that was released this past April, the Explorer was holed due to an error in judgement in attempting to break through a tongue of multi-year ice. To say that the ship hit an iceberg implies that this happened unexpectedly and without warning, which was not the case.
Finally, you note that tourism ship traffic is increasing at the bottom of the world. The number of vessels and voyages actually decreased during the 2008-2009 season and will likely continue to do so this austral summer and for at least the next five summers, based on a survey of Antarctic ship operators which I undertook the past few months. For anyone interested in actual statistics on Antarctic tourism, please visit our website at www.iaato.org.
Thanks for the opportunity to comment.
Regards,
Steve
Executive Director
International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators