MS Explorer

2007

Antarctic Peninsula, ice, no lives lost Location: Bransfield Strait, off King George Island, Antarctica · Coordinates: 62.37°S 57.33°W · Casualties: 0 · Survivors: 154 · Depth: 1,130 m · Cause: ice · grounding — Struck an iceberg or thick multi-year ice in the Bransfield Strait at 00:30 on 23 November 2007 during a tourist cruise of the Antarctic Peninsula. Holed below the waterline in multiple compartments. Abandoned within two hours; sank shortly after the last lifeboat cleared. · Fate: abyssal · protected Antarctic wreck · Type: cruise ship · ice-strengthened · Tonnage: 2,398 tons · Crew: 54 · Flag: Liberia · G.A.P. Adventures · Launched: 1969 Ice-strengthened cruise ship, pioneering Antarctic tourism vessel, lost to ice in the Bransfield Strait on 23 November 2007. Holed below the waterline in multiple compartments by hard glacial ice. Abandoned in two hours; 154 passengers and crew taken off by the Norwegian cruise ship Nordnorge in a textbook open-boat rescue. No lives lost. The first and so far only loss of a passenger ship in Antarctic waters; the wreck is now the deepest protected Antarctic archaeological site. The Vessel The MS Explorer was a Liberian-flagged expedition cruise ship of the Canadian-owned G.A.P. Adventures travel company, built at the Nystad Varv yard at Uusikaupunki, Finland between 1968 and 1969 and commissioned on 11 December 1969. She was 73 metres long, 2,646 gross tons, and powered by twin diesel engines producing approximately 2,600 horsepower. Her design was a small expedition cruise vessel intended for Arctic and Antarctic tourism: her hull was specifically reinforced for ice-navigation operations; her accommodation was designed for approximately 100 passengers plus a crew of approximately 70. She was originally built as the MS Lindblad Explorer for the American Lars-Eric Lindblad tourism company, which had pioneered the modern expedition-cruise industry through the 1960s and 1970s. She was subsequently sold to various operators through the 1990s and 2000s; she was eventually owned by G.A.P. Adventures by 2007. The specific operational role in 2007 was Antarctic expedition cruising. The specific Antarctic tourism industry had grown substantially through the 1990s and 2000s; approximately 35,000-40,000 tourists annually visited Antarctica by cruise ship during the austral summer season. The specific Antarctic season operational pattern involved extended cruises (typically 10-14 days) from South American ports to the Antarctic Peninsula region. By November 2007, the Explorer had been operating as an Antarctic expedition cruise vessel for approximately 40 years; her speci The Disaster The specific progression of the hull damage was slower and more complex than would have occurred in a larger, heavier-steel-hulled ship. Explorer's hull was relatively light-weight (reinforced for ice-navigation but not armoured); the specific ice impact had damaged not only the hull plating but also several internal stiffeners and frame members. The damage progressively extended over the subsequent hours as the ship's motion in the wave conditions stressed the damaged areas. By approximately 04:00 on 23 November 2007, the progressive flooding exceeded the ship's pumps capacity; the ship was listing to port by approximately 10 degrees. Captain Wiman ordered the crew and passengers to assemble at lifeboat stations; the specific evacuation procedures were initiated in accordance with standard SOLAS protocols. The specific evacuation was conducted professionally and effectively. All 154 aboard were evacuated to the ship's lifeboats and life rafts over approximately 3 hours (from approximately 04:00 to approximately 07:00 on 23 November 2007). The lifeboats and life rafts were deployed into the substantial sea conditions; the specific passengers and crew remained in the lifeboats for approximately 3-5 hours awaiting rescue. The specific rescue response was coordinated by the Argentine, Chilean, and Norwegian expedition cruise vessels operating in the region. Multiple other expedition cruise vessels (MS Nordnorge, MS Polar Star, MS Ushuaia) diverted to the location and participate