A cruise ship takes on water in the Antarctic and three more
come quickly to the rescue: A blessing for the survivors, to be
sure. But also an indication of a tourism boom that critics say
threatens Antarctica's environment and puts passengers at risk.
The M/S Explorer cruise ship sinks hours
after hitting an iceberg off the coast of the Antarctic, in this
photo released by the Chilean Army November 23, 2007. More than 150
passengers and crew escaped unhurt after the M/S Explorer hit ice
in the Antarctic and started sinking on Friday, the ship's owner
and coast guard officials said. [Agencies]
The 154 passengers and crew of the MS Explorer were all plucked
safely from life rafts this weekend by a Norwegian cruise ship as
their own vessel slid into the icy seas.
Tourism in the world's southernmost continent has spiked in
popularity, but there is little regulation of the lucrative
industry. Now giant cruise ships have begun to arrive, and some
experts fear catastrophic accidents and environmental damage.
"Under the environmental protocol of the Antarctic Treaty
Secretariat, the whole of Antarctica is supposed to be a reserve,"
said Jim Barnes, executive director of The Antarctic and Southern
Ocean Coalition. "It's supposed to be dedicated to science and to
protect the wilderness and the environment."
In the 1992-93 season, about 6,700 tourists visited the
Antarctic, according to the International Association of Antarctica
Tour Operators. Last season, that had quadrupled to 29,500.
Seven countries have made territorial claims in Antarctica, but
nobody recognizes them. In some cases, countries claim the same
piece of the continent. So it's rarely clear what authority is in
charge.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 with the aim of
preventing military incursions in Antarctica. Its members meet each
year and adopt recommendations, but there is no single authority to
enforce them.
This has left the Antarctic tourism industry largely
self-regulated.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators was
founded by seven companies with the goal of promoting "safe and
environmentally responsible" travel. The group now has 99 members,
but there are tour groups working outside the association which may
not follow its safety and environmental guidelines.
"Because of management principles that (the association) has put
in place, we've managed environmental impact," said Denise Landau,
the association's executive director. "The concern is that
companies outside the membership are not playing with the rest of
the operators."
Toronto-based G.A.P. Adventures, the owner of the Explorer, is
an association member. Passengers paid as much as $14,000 for a
suite on board the vessel during the 19-day cruise.
The ship was a relatively small 246 feet, with a double hull
billed by the company as "a go-anywhere ship for the go-anywhere
traveler."
But the Antarctic's blinding sleet, fog, high winds and
treacherous seas -- even in the October-to-April summer when cruise
ships flock to the area by the dozens -- make sailing treacherous
for even the most rugged vessel.
"If a ship like that can go down, it really should be a wake-up
call about allowing vessels that are not ice-strengthened and do
not have double hulls to go down there at all," Barnes said.
The Golden Princess, a 689-foot cruise ship that cam carry 2,425
passengers, sailed Antarctic waters this season, but passengers did
not set foot on the Antarctic and there were no incidents.
A paper presented at the Antarctic Treaty's last meeting called
the Golden Princess, run by California-based Princess Cruises, the
largest tourist vessel ever to operate in Antarctic water. The
paper recommended treaty members bar large cruise ships, but they
have not done so.
Princess Cruises spokeswoman Julie Benson said the company has
scheduled four more cruises -- two in 2008 and two in 2009 --
aboard the Star Princess, a ship the same size as the Golden
Princess.
Benson acknowledged the cruise line does not use
ice-strengthened ships in the region, but said it operates under
the Antarctic Treaty system.
"We don't believe that (ice-strengthening) is necessary because
we cruise in the summer months when it's relatively ice-free, and
our ships transit only in open-water areas with very limited ice
floes," Benson said.
(China Daily via Agencies November 27, 2007)
