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2 February 2007
MADRID — Spanish scientists at a based in Antartica reported a cruise ship had run aground causing a fuel spill, contaminating the coastline.
The heads of Spain’s Gabriel de Castilla base on Antarctica’s Deception Island said that the running aground of a Norwegian cruise ship was damaging an environmentally protected area.
Base commander Rafael Ayora told Efe news agency the spill occurred in the island’s bay, a protected area near Penfold Point in the South Shetland Islands.
“Today is a sad day for all of us who for years have devoted so much effort to conserving this natural marvel,” Ayora said on Friday.
The passengers of the Nordkapp vessel, which was carrying 295 passengers and 76 crew members, were evacuated Wednesday by another boat from the Hurtigruten company, the NordNorge.
The boat ran aground Tuesday but on Wednesday was able to refloat itself and was presently anchored at Foster port.
Despite repeated calls from the base offering assistance to the captain of the ship, Ayora said the latter refused the help saying “the situation was under control”.
Meanwhile, a Chilean navy vessel that participates in the duties of the Combined Naval Antarctic Patrol arrived off Deception Island’s coast early Thursday.
The heads of the Spanish base have informed Argentina’s Joint Antarctic Command and National Antarctic Directorate of the situation and have taken samples of the water in the bay for analysis.
[Copyright EFE with Expatica]
Subject: Spanish news
2 February 2007
MADRID — Spanish scientists at a based in Antartica reported a cruise ship had run
aground causing a fuel spill, contaminating the coastline.
The heads of Spain’s Gabriel de Castilla base on Antarctica’s Deception Island said
that the running aground of a Norwegian cruise ship was damaging an environmentally
protected area.
Base commander Rafael Ayora told Efe news agency the spill occurred in the island’s
bay, a protected area near Penfold Point in the South Shetland Islands.
“Today is a sad day for all of us who for years have devoted so much effort to
conserving this natural marvel,” Ayora said on Friday.
The passengers of the Nordkapp vessel, which was carrying 295 passengers and 76 crew
members, were evacuated Wednesday by another boat from the Hurtigruten company, the
NordNorge.
The boat ran aground Tuesday but on Wednesday was able to refloat itself and was
presently anchored at Foster port.
Despite repeated calls from the base offering assistance to the captain of the ship,
Ayora said the latter refused the help saying “the situation was under control”.
Meanwhile, a Chilean navy vessel that participates in the duties of the Combined Naval
Antarctic Patrol arrived off Deception Island’s coast early Thursday.
The heads of the Spanish base have informed Argentina’s Joint Antarctic Command and
National Antarctic Directorate of the situation and have taken samples of the water in
the bay for analysis.
[Copyright EFE with Expatica]
Subject: Spanish news