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Sunday, 5 January 2014
Why the Akademik Shokalskiy rescue will be a boost for expedition cruising
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| Passengers disembark from a Chinese helicopter during the rescue (Yahoo!7) |
"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success." – Ernest Shackleton
It may seem like a contradiction, but the recent rescue of 52 stranded scientists and passengers from the beleaguered Akademik Shokalskiy near Mawson’s Huts will surely lead to a surge in enquiry from would-be adventurers.
Ernest Shackleton’s famous century-old recruitment advertisement bears testament to the attraction of danger, even possible death, in the quest for adventure and discovery.
If you believe the advertisement as fact (many don’t) the story goes on to tell of more than 5000 hopeful applicants applying for the few places available.
More recently, Prince Edward (as seventh in line to the British throne and chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh Award) commented on the tragic death of schoolboy, David Iredale, who died in December 2006 in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, while accepting the Duke’s challenge.
"All the trustees were convinced that (Iredale’s death) was the end of it, that it (the Award) would never go any further," Prince Edward said. But the publicity had a surprising reverse effect. In the days following the news, enquiries skyrocketed.
"Suddenly the award, which was new and its reputation among young people was: 'Wow, this is serious. You could die doing this.'
"The sense of adventure, the sense of excitement, that it gave you that sort of risk element, the sense that it (death) is possible,” said the Prince, perhaps a little insensitively.
About the same time (November 2007), in another part of Antarctica, the famous MV Explorer (aka ‘the little red ship’) originally commissioned by Lars Eric Lindblad in 1969, hit multi-season ice, punched a “fist-sized” hole in its double hull and sank. Fortunately without loss of life or injury to any of the 154 passengers, but the circumstances were hairy nonetheless.
Now, I’ve never been able to substantiate this, but I heard from sources close to the action that Bruce Poon Tip (high profile owner of the ship and then GAP Adventures, now G Adventures) was justifiably concerned about how the fallout from the event would effect his otherwise highly-respected business.
But join the dots and you’ll see what I mean. Instead of scaling back or closing down his cruise department, GAP rushed to find a replacement vessel (M/S Expedition) to fill both the existing forward bookings and waves of new enquiry.
Let's not forget this time last year, solo yachtsman, Alain Delord, was rescued by the luxury expedition ship Orion, north of the Shokalskiy's current position. While the publicity was similarly enormous, not all passengers appreciated the expensive detour.
Other recent Antarctic and expedition cruise dramas: Polar Star : Orion II : NG Sea Lion : Marco Polo : MV Ushuaia : Ocean Nova
Already there are signs that existing expedition cruise operators are sensing an approaching tsunami of enquiry.
“Traffic to my site spiked 100-fold as the news broke,” says Campbell, whose company is an agent for the operators of Akademik Shokalskiy and dozens of other similar vessels, “that traffic has settled down now, but still remains at 10 to 20 times what it was prior to the event.”
Other expedition cruise agencies and operators are likely to be experiencing similar surges in web traffic. The sales conversion ratio of that traffic is yet to be determined, but bookings are sure to grow.
When one thinks of ships and ice, it automatically raises comparisons to the RMS Titanic disaster where more than 1500 passengers perished in the icy waters due to inadequate safety procedures – among many other factors.
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| In a scene reminiscent of Shakleton's Endurance, Akademik Shokalskiy is beset by ice in Commonwealth Bay. |
“There are always risks in expedition travel, but the Shokalskiy, her crew and the voyage organisers are all extremely experienced and I would certainly say those risks were calculated and 99 times out of 100 the ship should have had no issues in fulfilling the expedition itinerary,” explains Campbell. “It was just an unfortunate combination of circumstances with wind, ice breakouts and nature's power!
“People contemplating a trip to Antarctica should not be put off - the vast majority of cruises to Antarctica explore the Peninsula area which has far lighter or zero sea ice coverage during the summer. Risks of being trapped in ice like this are really very minimal.”
But do prospective adventurers really want the path of least risk? Maybe the wild and unpredictable seas around East Antarctica and Mawson’s Base at Cape Adare are just the ticket? Time will tell, but one thing is for certain, the profile and demand for expeditions to Antarctica will not be harmed one bit.
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Saturday, 4 January 2014
Latest news on Akademik Shokalskiy rescue
| News | 11 new results for aurora shokalskiy |
| Akademik Shokalskiy leaders have mixed emotions upon rescue Sydney Morning Herald
Akademik Shokalskiy leaders have mixed emotions upon rescue ... beset Akademik Shokalskiy, arriving on board rescue vessel the Aurora Australis ...
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| 52 Passengers Rescued From MV Akademik Shokalskiy as Snow ... Guardian Liberty Voice
The twin-rotor helicopter – featuring a vibrant red and white aesthetic – ferried passengers of the Akademik Shokalskiy to the Aurora Australis over a ...
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| Passengers Taken Off Deep-Freeze Ship 'Akademik MarineLink
Passengers Taken Off Deep-Freeze Ship 'Akademik Shokalskiy' ... research vessel 'Akademik Shokalskiy' to the icebreaker 'Aurora Australis', informs ...
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| Antarctica rescue: Xue Long calls for help after becoming stuck ... Sydney Morning Herald
AMSA said it had placed the Aurora Australis on standby to assist, only ... to transfer the group from the Akademik Shokalskiy to ice near the Aurora.
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| Passengers rescued from Antarctic Akademik Shokalskiy ship spyghana.com
The Shokalskiy has been trapped since 24 December. ... The passengers were taken to an ice floe next to the Aurora Australis and then ferried on to ...
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| Chinese Xue Long Ice-breaking Attempt Unsuccessful: AMSA CRIENGLISH.com
The Masters of both Russian vessel Akademik Shokalskiy and Chinese vessel Xue Long agreed this morning that further assistance from Aurora ...
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| Global warming research on ice San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
But there was too much thick ice and the Xue Long could not reach the Shokalskiy. Then the Australian Aurora Australis tried to come to the rescue, ...
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| Akademik Shokalskiy: Antarctica Ship Rescue Vessel Snow Dragon ... The Inquisitr
The Akademik Shokalskiy apparently doesn't have any luck since the ... A second Australian icebreaker ship called the Aurora Australis came within ...
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| Australia's maritime authorities stand down after Antarctic rescue Sydney Morning Herald
With Shokalskiy's 52 passengers now safely on the Aurora Australis, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it had stood down the rescue ...
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| Antarctic mission: Akademik Shokalsky has routine day, Chinese ... The Voice of Russia
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has told the Aurora ... with freeing the scientific expedition on the Akademik Shokalskiy, which has ...
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| Chinese Ice-Breaking Ship Trapped Following Australian Rescue ... University Herald
Snow Dragon carried a helicopter to the site of the stranded Akademik Shokalskiy vessel and took 52 passengers from the nearby ice to the Aurora.
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Friday, 3 January 2014
Latest news on rescue of Akademik Shokalskiy passengers
| 52 passengers trapped in Antarctica to be rescued Sumter Item
The Aurora came within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the ship Monday, but fierce winds ... The Akademik Shokalskiy, which left New Zealand on Nov.
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| Stricken Russian vessel spends New Year still stranded on ice DigitalJournal.com
The Russian vessel, Akademik Shokalskiy has been stuck in thick ice since ... Crew members on board the Aurora, owned by P&O Maritime, have ...
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| Bad weather delays rescure Tasmania Examiner
Aurora Australis was forced to abandon its rescue attempts yesterday at the risk of ... It is about 16 nautical miles east of the MV Akademik Shokalskiy.
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RV Saigon Pandaw sinks
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| Passengers disembark the near-new RV Saigon Pandaw (flickr: hansgoto@sbcglobal.net) |
On 21st December we received the news that the RV Saigon Pandaw had sunk off the Malaysian coast whilst under tug tow from Saigon to Singapore and then on to Yangon. There was no one on board so there were no casualties. We are still awaiting the results of the official investigation but we are told that the hull became swamped with water and capsized in heavy seas.
The Saigon, to have been renamed the Sagaing, was a much loved ship by all who sailed in her. Built only three years ago in Vietnam, she was on her way to take up duties in Burma where demand is now so high.
We have contacted all passengers booked and have the space in other ships to relocate them or if not convenient, passengers will be refunded the full amounts paid. Passengers have been incredibly kind and understanding over this and we are deeply grateful to them for their sympathy at such a time.
Despite this loss, with two new ships under construction, we at Pandaw still have the capacity to meet growing demand for river expeditions in Burma.
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