Ship Hits Ice Off Antarctica

[GordMay]

G.A.P. Adventures of Toronto, initially described the damage as a ''fist-size hole,'' but the Argentine navy later told The Associated Press it observed ''significant'' damage to the hull.

Crew members issued their first emergency call at 12:30 a.m. EST, said Marie Ann MacRae, a spokeswoman for G.A.P. Adventures. Hours later, the 154 people aboard - including 23 British, 17 Dutch, 13 American and 10 Canadian passengers - prepared to abandon ship.

The 246 Ft, 2,400-tonne ms “Explorer” was built in Finland in 1969 and was equipped with an ice-hardened double hull (Det Norske Veritas rated 1A1 ice A), according to G.A.P. Adventures, which advertised her as a "go-anywhere ship for the go-anywhere traveler." The company prided the vessel as being the world's first purpose-built expedition cruise ship designed specifically for polar destinations.

G.A.P. bought “Explorer” in June 2004. The vessel was managed by V.Ships Leisure until November 2006, when Gap Shipping took management in-house.

This wasn’t the first time the “Explorer” has had problems in this region. In 1972 she ran aground near La Plaza Point in Antarctica during a storm.

Nor is this the first time, this year, that a ship has been in distress in Antarctica. Last February the “Nisshin Maru”, the Japanese whaling factory ship caught fire, and was dead in the water for 10 days. In January, the Norwegian cruise ship MS “Nordkapp” ran aground off Deception Island (in the South Shetland Islands group).

Sinking cruiseship -inspectors found defects ~ By David Osler
Goto: Lloyd's List - News

G.A.P. Explorer Update - November 23, 2007 (Nothing New):
Adventure, expedition cruises aboard Explorer - G.A.P Adventures

[knottybuoyz]

Photos of sinking ship.

[Vasco]

Hard to believe a hole the size of your fist would sink this vessel. Read that this boat had a double bottom. That is not unusual but if so the size and position of the hole would be difficult to determine. With double bottoms you sound the bilges twice a day, maybe it's electronic nowadays. If water is in a tank you pump out the bilges but tanks are isolated or should be isolated. Cannot believe that the first the crew knew about it was when a passenger got water in her cabin. I was on a ship once that has a hole in the bottom, we knew this because we could not empty one of the double bottom tanks. When we got to port we got a diver down, he found the hole and shoved a broomstick in it. We then pumped out the tank, opened the inspection manhole, crawled in, they're 30" deep, and built a cement box around the broomstick. Did the trick until the next dry-docking. I guess it all depends on how the boat was built, the list, in this case, suggests a deep tank on the starboard side.

[Apogee]

I'm having trouble with the story about it hitting a piece of ice. I've worked in the Antarctic, and been on ice breakers and cruise ships in and around the Palmer Peninsula and ice and large amounts of it are extremely common - this ship, with its supposedly strenghtened hull, should have not just hit a randon piece of ice and sunk - I'm guessing it hit an uncharted reef at the location of the sinking or at some other time during that cruise that comprimised the hull in that area.

The charts of Antarctica are notorious for being wrong - on a reasearch cruise a few years back they found that the coast was mis-charted by as much as a mile in some places. These guys aren't tell the whole story. Ice is scary and sharp but it didn't sink this ship.

[delmarrey]

I would suggest a reef too!

Initial reports suggested only a small hole was punched into the hull, but the Argentine navy later said in a statement it observed "significant" damage. Photos released by the Chilean navy throughout the day Friday showed the ship lying nearly on its side, surrounded by floating blocks of ice.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312730,00.html

She's foating pretty high for being on her side. But she's a loss

The Chilean navy said the entire MS Explorer finally slipped beneath the waves Friday evening, about 20 hours after the predawn accident near Antarctica's South Shetland Islands.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21935099/

[Unicorn Dreams]

On the news report that we listened to, it said that the ice (reef) ripped a hole down the side of the ship, not a hole.. i.e. TITANIC

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Apogee

... The charts of Antarctica are notorious for being wrong - on a reasearch cruise a few years back they found that the coast was mis-charted by as much as a mile in some places...

Many charts are "off".
Due to Horizontal Datum Shift, GPS positions cannot be used accurately with any charts not corrected to the WGS84 datum.
Many charts are not yet referred to WGS84 Datum. This means that, in those cases, positions obtained from GPS receivers will not be directly compatible with the chart, and cannot be used without adjustment.
Your GPS may output a position to a precision of three decimal places of a minute, but that does not mean that all its positions are accurate to 7 feet (2m), or that the resulting position is compatible with the positions of objects shown on modern charts (paper or digital) which may have been established 100 years ago and not surveyed since.

[Ex-Calif]

Sure is great to be sitting by the fire second guessing the crew - LOL.

I sure as hell wouldn't get in that water to save some bank's boat. And if I was a passenger and they hadn't lifted me off as soon as she is holed? I'm arranging a mutiny.

No need to put people at risk for a hunk of metal. Especially a hunk of 1969 metal.

Should it have gone down? No. Should all the safety stuff have been in working order? Yes. Blame the crew? No.

I'll bet the captain and crew are under a lot of pressure to make the trips. i.e. you take it or we will find someone who will.

Good call by the captain to get the passengers off and not risk the wage earners lives. Too bad he's gonna get roasted for losing his ship.