In November last year, 154 passengers and crew had to be rescued from lifeboats after tour operator GAP Adventures’ expedition ship hit an iceberg and sank.
Norwegian company Hurtigruten’s Nordnorge was in the region and came to the aid of the stricken ship. It wasn’t the first time Nordnorge had come to the rescue. Back in February 2007 the Hurtigruten ship also evacuated 294 people from another in its fleet, Nordkapp after it ran aground in the region.
As if that wasn’t enough, in the same month Explorer sank, Hurtigruten’s newest ship, Fram, lost power and drifted into an iceberg.
Fortunately no one was injured in any of the incidents and all ships met the safety criteria, but questions are still being raised about environmental and safety concerns.
Last season more than 37,000 tourists visited the Antarctic region; more than 5,000 of them from the UK.
But will agents still send clients there? Association of Cruise Experts business development director Andy Harmer said that niche and expedition cruising is becoming a growth area for agents.
He said: “As more people become repeat cruisers they will look for new destinations.
“I have spoken to a few agents and they haven’t seen a negative impact from the incidents. There may be more awareness of the area because of the news coverage.
“The cruiselines that travel in the Antarctic take safety very seriously. If people visit they also become more aware of this and the environment.
“Cruiselines wouldn’t do anything to endanger the local environment. It is in their interests to protect it.”
Cruising Anywhere director of product development and cruising Mike Sands agreed.
He said: “Have these accidents damaged numbers? I don’t think so. People never stopped going to the Mediterranean whenever a ship sank there. It won’t put people off.
“It could even have the opposite effect. People are watching the coverage at home and nine out of 10 probably wouldn’t know you can cruise there. There could be a number of people that may see it as a possibility.
“I think we will see cruising in this area increase. People are looking for new and adventurous places to go.”
The British Antarctic Survey conducts a number of research projects in Antarctica and it promotes responsible and safe tourism. It also advises the Government on what it can do to protect the region.
BAS environment and information division head Dr John Shears said: “There has been a substantial increase in tourism over the past few years.
“Cruising is still niche but almost 98% of people who visit [the Antarctic] are on cruise ships. There has certainly been a run of accidents.”
Shears emphasised that BAS would encourage tourists to travel with cruiselines that are members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, which Explorer was.
He said: “The way we have positioned ourselves is that we only work closely with IAATO members.
“It is a badge of quality for a tour operator.
“As far as safety goes, it is still a dangerous environment to be working in. People see films and programmes such as Planet Earth and imagine these fantastic places – but the weather can change in an instant.
“In the summer (December to March) the temperatures are still just above freezing.”
Shears said there is no coastguard in the area so cruise ship crews need to rely on other cruising vessels to answer their call.
“When Explorer went down it was fortunate that it was calm weather but it was still four or five hours before any cruise ship could be in the area,” said Shears.
“I would only travel with an IAATO member with an ice-strengthened hull and an experienced tour company.
“Explorer fitted all of those categories and it still sank, but no one was injured and everyone was evacuated safely.
“I am not saying don’t go – tourists can learn from visiting the region.
“Expedition tourism doesn’t damage the environment and people come back with a positive view of the destination.”
It is all well and good sending the smaller specialist ships there but what happens when the larger ships want to get a piece of the pie?
“If larger cruise ships started going into the region that would be of considerable concern,” said Shears.
Princess Cruises is putting one of its ships, Star Princess, into the Antarctic, but Shears said it plans to stay in deep water rather than going further into the icy waters.
The advice to agents booking a cruise for a client is to make sure they are clued up on the operator and advise customers as much as possible.
