Antarctic cruise ship collides with iceberg

More than 150 passengers and crew were rescued after an expedition cruise ship struck what is believed to be an iceberg and threatened to sink in the Southern Ocean 700 miles south-east of Cape Horn yesterday.

Twenty-three British holidaymakers, who paid up to £4,500 each in the hope of enjoying the splendour of a southern polar summer, were among those ordered to don lifejackets and climb aboard liferafts before taking to the open sea to be transferred to another vessel. No one was injured in the operation, which was co-ordinated by the US naval base at Norfolk, Virginia, almost 8,000 miles (13,000km) away.

The drama began in sub-zero temperatures in the Bransfield Strait off King George Island, Antarctica, at 5.24am yesterday. The MV Explorer, the first passenger ship to navigate the North-West Passage in 1984, had been chartered by a Canadian travel company.

It began taking on water and was soon listing at a 20-degree angle. Despite efforts to pump out the icy water, the order to abandon ship came nearly two hours of the first distress signal.

The ship was almost on its side last night, as the rescue ship carrying the 154 off-loaded people reached the South Shetland Islands, about 70 miles (110km) from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The islands, about 1,800 miles from the South Pole, support a handful of research stations and are part of British Antarctic Territory, although they are also claimed by Argentina and Chile.

Arnvid Hansen, captain of the Norwegian cruise ship NordNorge, which picked up the passengers, said all were safe. They had been billeted in the ship's premier lounge, where they were able to dry their clothes and were being served hot food. "All are aboard my vessel. There are no afraid passengers or anything like that," he said. "Some are cold but none has hypothermia. We are giving them as many clothes as we can."

Alongside the rescued Britons were four Irish, 14 Americans, 12 Canadians and 10 Australians as well as Dutch, Japanese and Argentinian tourists.

Susan Hayes, of the Toronto-based travel group Gap Adventures, described how icy water began gushing into the vessel after a cabin was pierced by ice and a fist-sized hole opened up. "The ship was travelling out of Ushuaia in Argentina, travelling southbound to Antarctica. Off King George Island it hit ice and began taking on water," she said.

Antarctic tourism has become popular as environmental awareness has grown and interest has soared in the scenery and wildlife of the poles. The number of cruise ships operating in Antartica has grown dramatically, with 52 expected at Ushuaia during the current October-April high season.

Visiting the poles is risky. In January, 300 passengers were rescued after a ship ran aground in Antarctica. In August, 17 UK tourists were injured, three seriously, when a glacier sent ice crashing on to the deck of a luxury cruise ship off Svalbard in the Arctic.

The 2,400-ton MV Explorer set out on 11 November for a 19-day trip through the Drake Passage. The sea between the tip of South America and Antarctica was named after Francis Drake, even though he sailed through the less treacherous Magellan Straits, in 1577.

The Hampshire-based adventure company Explore said 14 of its clients were on the vessel and were taking part in the Spirit of Shackleton tour. Ashley Toft, of Explore, said: "Our major concern is with our customers. While such incidents are very rare, they are nevertheless shocking."

Ernest Shackleton led an Antarctic expedition in 1915 when his ship, Endurance, was crushed by ice and he made a heroic escape to the South Georgia islands.