M/S Nordkapp
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Posted on 01/31/2007 9:36:23 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
OSLO, Norway (AP) -
Nearly 300 passengers, including 119 Americans, were awaiting rescue Wednesday from a Norwegian cruise ship that ran aground off a remote Antarctic island, damaging its hull.
The M/S Nordkapp got off the rocks under its own steam and sought shelter in a nearby harbor, where it was awaiting the arrival later Wednesday of another Norwegian Coastal Voyage ship, the M/S Nordnorge, the cruise operator said.
The company said no one was hurt in Tuesday's mishap in the Southern Ocean and the Nordkapp was not in danger.
"The ship is now at anchor in Walker Bay, and is being met by M/S Nordnorge," said Hanne K. Kristiansen, a spokeswoman for Norwegian Coastal Voyage.
The 294 passengers were to be transferred to the sister ship using tenders from the two ships, small boats usually reserved for excursions. The Nordnorge would then take the passengers on to Argentina.
Kristiansen said she did not know how long it would take because they were waiting for strong winds to ease up late in the day.
"For the passengers' comfort, we will wait," Kristiansen said. She said all the passengers had signed up for an expedition, rather than a standard cruise, and frequently used boats for landings and foot treks.
"We are having a fine time. In fact, it is very nice," Norwegian passenger Terje Johansen told The Associated Press from the Nordkapp.
He said passengers initially were nervous when the ship ran aground, but quickly understood that there was no danger.
"There is a little bit of waves, so they are waiting with the transfer. Right now, I'm in my cabin trying to get a little sleep," he said by ship's telephone.
The 404-foot Nordkapp, built in 1996, and the virtually identical Nordnorge cruise the Antarctic during the southern hemisphere summer. They sail off the coast of Norway during the European summer.
The company said the ship was on its way back to Argentina when it ran aground near Deception Island, which is part of the South Shetland archipelago.
The statement said a British warship was also meeting the Nordkapp, and would send down divers to inspect the damage to its hull and then escort the ship to port in Argentina.
As soon as the tourists are aboard the Nordnorge, it will depart for Ushuaia, Argentina, a roughly 40-hour trip.
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On the Net:
http://www.hurtigruten.com
Is it me or are cruise ships constandly finding themselves in distress these days....?
With names like Nordkapp and Nordnorge you'd think they would sail somewhere other than Antarctica.
I'm sure that Argentina's renewed interest in the Falkland Islands has no bearing on this little item....
That could've ended in a real bad way. Good thing everyone is ok.
From here on out I think the navigator best steer clear of Deception Island
What's your definition of constantly? Do you know how many cruise ships are sailing everyday? It's actually a very, very small percent of ships that have trouble. It's unreasonable to think nothing will ever happen on a cruise ship. I'm amazed things don't happen more.
Nordnorge. Gad.
Well, according to the enviro-wackos that's the only place that has ice anymore and even there it's disappearing fast. On the plus side, if sea-level rises as much as the junk scientists say it will, then the ship will no longer be in danger of grounding when it returns next time.
Could've been worse. They could've been stranded for the winter and found themselves eating seal meat for days on end, as happened to me in 1908. :)
LOL! I see we think alike.
OK, I'll rephrase: Has anyone else noticed from week to week there are reports of various cruise ships encountering all manner of problems from running aground or engine failures to virus' causing hundreds of the passengers to besome ill?
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Looks topheavy.
It is because the press has discovered that on a 24 hour news cycle you need to report more stories.
An example is Fox News that has discoverd brush fires, missing persons and suspicious packages are absolutely something you have to hear about. - tom
There are a LOT of cruise ships nowadays. And since they're catering to tourists, I think they probably got too close in to shore ... to watch penguins or seals, probably.
Years ago, a guy in our office went on a 5 day cruise with his wife. When they boarded the ship they discovered they'd signed up for a "seniors" cruise. Lots of blue haired ladies & old men with walkers.
No sonar ?
The boat and most of the newer cruise liners sailing today. I don't think they could take a rouge wave.
if you go too international cruise victims org
they have alotof interesting stories . they also have links to partner sites which have some really good info
Seal meat isn't bad tasting.
I was wondering why a red wave would make a difference, but then I decided maybe you meant "rogue". :)
Maybe the captain of the Nordkapp was too busy having a Nytkapp...
The are so many of them out there now that at least some problems are to be expected. This may not be as bad as amajor viral epidemic.
However, when passengers sign up for an expedition it may have new meaning now. Good thing they did not have to go ashore on Deception Island after the incident. They might have been charged for a new shore excustion.
Rite.
The rising sea levels, I read in one paper, are actually supposed to help the Great Barrier Reef to expand off Australia.
I was thinking the same exact thing ping.
"Is it me or are cruise ships constandly finding themselves in distress these days....?"
I think its kinda like the whole young female teachers having sex with kids scare. You only here about the cases where something goes wrong. Given the number of cruise ships out there, the amount of trouble you hear about really isn't that bad.
It's much like all news reports, you'll never hear anything about an uneventful cruise. Large numbers of these ships go all over the place, uneventfully. A 400 psgr ship is tiny, the average is more like 2000 psgrs and 750 crew, and there are probably 250 of those size ships worldwide, each taking roughly a cruise a week. I worked on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship for about a year as a musician. The ship I was on, Jewel of the Seas, was appx 2400 psgrs, 850 crew, which is about 1 quanta smaller than the largest ones going.
Stuff happens, you're right, but it's much like airline travel...only newsworthy on disaster. When the ships get older, as you'd expect, things get a little flakier, and no doubt the most common affliction is the gastrointestinal issues among the psgrs/crew. Keep in mind, though, that fault-wise, this is most likely equally attributable to guests boarding with colds/flu than "the ship". Esp when you consider that probably the largest no of psgrs is from the East Coast on winter escape to the Caribbean. Somebody sneezes on their hands and steadies themselves on a handrail then you come along and touch the handrail, don't wash your hands vefore eating a snack, and bingo.
Assiduous handwashing, ten times a day and before meals, absolutely without fail, will avoid 85% of these problems. IMO, of course.
I wouldn't mind being 'stranded' on a cruise ship for a couple days, especially since everyone on board will be getting a LOT of freebies in compensation.
God bless Ernest Shackleton.
One of the best blue-water, open-boat sailors ever. Ever.
Well you wouldn't want a cruise ship designed for the warm waters Carribean on a cruise to Antarctica.
A cruise ship ran over a humpback whale up here a few months ago and got ticked for speeding $700,000.
Well its a good thing it didn't run over you.
"...best steer clear of Deception Island"
Has its own web site...
http://www.deceptionisland.aq/
ROFL!
"It is one of the only places in the world where vessels can sail directly into the centre of a restless volcano."
Obviously a hot spot for tourists.
Carolyn
When that happens then I guess Carnival Cruise lines will have scheduled trips. :)
Ya mean the ice was not all melted???
Expidition rather than Excursion...LOL!...that means an extra $15K per head, and the tourists get to call themselves "explorers." What a racket.
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