Stricken ship evacuated off Antarctica

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - A Canadian cruise ship struck submerged ice off Antarctica and began taking on water, but all 154 passengers and crew took to lifeboats and were rescued safely Friday by a passing Norwegian liner, officials said.

On calm seas, the Explorer passengers and crew were safely moved from rubber boats in subfreezing temperatures to the Nordnorge, a Norwegian cruise ship that was nearby and responded to the distress call, said Susan Hayes of G.A.P. Adventures of Toronto, which owns the stricken vessel.

The 91 passengers from 14 countries included at least 13 Americans, 23 Britons, 17 Dutch and 10 Canadians, officials said. In addition to the passengers, there were nine expedition staff members and a crew of 54, Hayes said.

"The ship ran into some ice. It was submerged ice and the result was a hole about the size of a fist in the side of the hull so it began taking on water ... but quite slowly," she said. "The passengers are absolutely fine. They're all accounted for, no injuries whatsoever."

She called the evacuation process "calm," and said pumps were able to deal with incoming water until the Nordnorge arrived.

The Explorer was completing an ecological tour of Antarctica when it struck the ice, Hayes said.

She said the ship was listing at about 40 degrees and is in danger of sinking.

"There is a possibility we may lose the ship," she said.

The Nordnorge arrived Friday afternoon at King George Island in a bay close to a Chilean air base, but high waves and winds prevented passengers from immediately disembarking, said Chilean air force Cmdr. Raul Jorquera.

He said he expected them to rest on the island overnight before flying on Chilean air force planes to Punta Arenas at the southernmost tip of Chile, weather permitting.

The British coast guard said it was told at 12:24 a.m. EST of the incident involving the 2,646-ton Explorer near the South Shetland Islands and Graham Land, an Antarctic peninsula.

An Argentine rescue and command center received a first distress call at 11:30 p.m. EST Thursday from the Explorer amid reports it was taking on water through the hull despite its onboard pumps, said Capt. Juan Pablo Panichini, an Argentine navy spokesman.

A navy statement said the captain ordered passengers to abandon ship about 90 minutes after the first call and that they and the crew took to eight semi-rigid lifeboats and four life rafts, with the captain leaving the ship later.

The statement said Explorer was some 475 nautical miles southeast of Ushuaia, the southernmost Argentine city and a jumping-off point for cruise ships and supply vessels for Antarctica.

Seas were calm and winds light at the time, what Panichini called "optimal conditions for carrying out the evacuation."

G.A.P Adventures is a tour company that provides eco-friendly excursions with an environmental focus. The Explorer was in the midst of a 19-day circuit of Antarctica and the Falkland Islands that allowed passengers to observe penguins, whales, and other forms of local wildlife.

Traveling to Antarctica is always risky, Hayes said.

"There is ice in the area. Obviously it's a hazard of the area. But it's highly unusual (that the ship would hit the ice). This has never happened to us."

The Nordnorge, built in 1997, is 403 feet long and has a capacity of 691 passengers in 214 cabins.

Source: news.yahoo.com