The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating a series of accidents involving the deaths of four Americans and injuries of five more on expedition cruise ships in the Antarctic.
The accidents all occurred in the two weeks from Nov. 15 through Dec. 1 in some of the harshest marine environments in the world. The Coast Guard and NTSB have sent teams to Ushuaia, Argentina, the jumping-off point for cruise ships heading for the Antarctic. They are working with investigators from other countries where the ships are flagged.
Two U.S. citizens died when a RIB from the World Explorer, a Portuguese vessel, capsized near Elephant Island on Nov. 15. Quark Expeditions, the operator, says a breaking wave probably caused the Zodiac to capsize. The Coast Guard is conducting a marine casualty investigation, working with Portuguese officials.
One U.S. citizen was injured when a RIB from the Viking Polaris, a Norwegian-flagged ship, suffered a keel-tube failure off Damoy Point in the Antarctic on Nov. 28. The injury was serious enough for the Viking Polaris to head back to Ushuaia for medical care.
One day later, one U.S. citizen was killed and four others were injured when the Viking Polaris was hit by a large wave in the Drake Passage on its way to Ushuaia. You can see a video after that accident below, with passengers saying the wave broke through windows and walls.
In the fourth accident, one U.S. citizen died from an injury on the Plancius, a Dutch-flagged vessel. The Coast Guard is conducting a marine casualty investigation, working with officials from the Netherlands and the Falklands.
Capt. Gretchen Bailey, commanding officer of Coast Guard Activities Europe, said, “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those impacted by these tragedies. The safety of U.S. passengers aboard ships throughout the globe is a priority for the U.S. Coast Guard. We are proud to work alongside the NTSB and our international partners to investigate these incidents and make meaningful safety improvements for worldwide passenger vessel operations, especially in unique high-risk environments like the Antarctic.”
Read more at https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3286595/coast-guard-ntsb-and-international-partners-investigate-antarctic-marine-casual/ and see the video below:
