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| file image of MV Ushuaia |
No one was injured in the grounding but the ship's officers plan to move passengers to another vessel before they try to "refloat" the Ushuaia.
"An initial assessment of damage indicated that while there was no imminent danger and no threat to life, it would be precautionary to transfer passengers to another vessel," the Association says in a situation report sent to USA TODAY. Still, they added, the ship is stable.
Another expedition ship, the Antarctic Dream, was seven miles away when the incident occurred and already has arrived on the scene. Several other ice-strengthed expedition ships including the National Geographic Explorer, Professor Multanovskiy and Polar Star also are nearby and have offered assistance should it be needed.
Several Chilean Naval vessels also are en route, and the Association, which has been in contact with the Ushuaia's crew, says they plan to transfer passengers to the Chilean Naval vessel Achiles on Friday.
The Association says the Ushuaia leaked a small amount of light oil when it ran aground, but the leak has since been sealed and oil barriers have been deployed to contain further spills.
Originally built for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1970, the 2,923-ton Ushuaia is one of several dozen small expedition ships that operate adventure cruises to Antarctica each year during the brief Antarctic summer -- the period from late November until March when the ice around the continent melts back enough to allow visits.
The often-spartan voyages, which appeal to well-heeled adventurers from around the globe who pay $4,000 per person or more for the chance to see one of the most remote and untrammeled regions on Earth, have grown in popularity in recent years. But several recent incidents also have raised concerns about the trips, which offer the chance to see everything from giant icebergs to penguins and whales.
Just last year two expedition vessels, G.A.P. Adventures' Explorer and Hurtigruten's Fram, were damaged by icebergs. The Explorer eventually sank.
The IAATO statement on the incident says the Ushuaia was sailing nearly full with 82 passengers on board, including 12 Americans, 2 Canadians, 11 Australians and 7 residents of the United Kingdom. Passengers from nearly a dozen other countries including The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and China also are on board.
Ushuaia was released from its Chilean naval tug escort and is sailing under its own power toward the South Shetland Islands. There the ship, which grounded off the Antarctic peninsula last week, will seek safe anchorage and await orders regarding the Drake Passage crossing.
ReplyDeleteNavy divers from the tug Lautaro had earlier deemed the hull in good condition and determined the damage from Thursday’s grounding would not affect the vessel’s navigability or the environment, according to an update from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators.
IAATO said it is believed the fuel remaining in the punctured tanks is sufficiently buffered by seawater, which had entered the tanks early in the grounding, to not leak further. Naval observers detected no further oil residue on the water’s surface.
According to IAATO, Ushuaia is making good progress toward an anchorage at Half Moon Island, weather permitting. A watch is being maintained for signs of fuel spillage.