Auspicious start to Antarctic tourist season

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11-20-2009 @ 10:50AM

Steve said...

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

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