Yesterday, we touched briefly upon on the Argentine passenger vessel, Ushuaia, that ran aground Thursday on Antartica’s western peninsula. We are now seeing reports that all 89 passengers and 33 crew members have been safely removed from the ship. AFP writes:
They were taken off the cruise liner Ciudad de Ushuaia, which became stuck Thursday in Wilhelmina Bay, part of the Antarctic peninsula that reaches towards the southern tip of South America, Commander Alan Nettle said.
Argentine authorities on Thursday said the passengers and 33 crew members were all unhurt and the vessel was in no danger of sinking.
Citizens from Australia, Belgium, Britain, China, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United States were among the passengers on the ship.
It is still unclear as to how much fuel was leaked into the water but reports are saying that the tank has been sealed. We will be sure to update if we hear any more news on this incident.
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Tags: · antartica, eco tourism, Marine Incidents, ship_grounding
BitterEnd reports that the Royal Navy Ice patrol ship HMS ENDURANCE, which amongst other tasks is carrying survey work in the Antarctic on behalf of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) to improve Safety of Life at Sea products and services, has located the wreck of a cruise liner which sank last year.
Listen to our podcast on the M/V Explorer sinking HERE then read our previous posts HERE and HERE.
Also be sure to take a look at these excellent BitterEnd posts:
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Tags: · antarctica, antartica, bitterend, cruise, cruises, eco tourism, explorer, ice patrol, Icebreaker, MSC, rogue wave, ukho
In breaking news from the Antarctic Japanese whalers have taken two activists hostage after they boarded the whaling ship Yushin Maru. The BBC tells us;
The Sea Shepherd campaign group said the two – a Briton and an Australian – had been assaulted and tied to the radar mast by the Japanese crew.
They said they wanted charges of kidnap to be filed in Australia.
Minoru Morimoto, of the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), admitted the pair had been detained but denied they had been assaulted or harmed.
He said the Sea Shepherd’s accusations that the two men were tied up were “completely untrue”.
“It is illegal to board another country’s vessels on the high seas. As a result, at this stage, they are being held in custody while decisions are made on their future,” he added.
You can read the full report HERE and watch the video HERE.
UPDATE 17Jan:
The AP wire tells us:
Australia said Thursday it would send a ship to pick up two anti-whaling activists who jumped on a Japanese harpoon vessel from a rubber boat in Antarctic waters, offering a solution to a tense, two-day standoff on the high seas.
The protesters from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society scored a victory with their stunt, bringing Japan’s whale hunt to a standstill while officials scrambled to resolve the faceoff.
The Australian customs ship Oceanic Viking will pick up the two activists, an Australian and a Briton, and return them to their anti-whaling vessel as soon as the details can be arranged, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said. Continue Reading…
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Tags: · antartica, arrest, Greenpeace, ISPS Code, Japan, sea shepard, southern ocean, whaling
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