MS Explorer

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Career
MS Explorer in 2005
Name:	1969–1985: MS Lindblad Explorer 1985–1992: MS Society Explorer^[1] 1992–2007: MS Explorer
Owner:	1969–1972: K/S A/S Explorer & Co, Oslo, Norway 1972–1980: Swedish American Line, Gothenburg, Sweden 1980–1982: Lindblad Swire Cruises, Panama 1982–1983: Salén AB, Stockholm, Sweden 1983–1985: Ferry Services Curacao NV, Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles 1985–1992: Discoverer Reederei GmbH, Germany 1992–2003: Explorer Shipping, Monrovia, Liberia 2003–2004: Kyris Shipping Ltd., Monaco 2004–2007: G.A.P. Shipping Co Ltd, Bahamas
Builder:	Uudenkaupungin Telakka, Uusikaupunki, Finland
Laid down:	1969
Launched:	December 14, 1969
Out of service:	November 23, 2007, Sunk after hitting an underwater object near King George Island.
Homeport:	1969–1972: Oslo, Norway 1972–1989: Panama City, Panama 1989–2007: Monrovia, Liberia
Identification:	IMO Number 6924959
Fate:	Sank after hitting underwater object on, November 23, 2007, at (62°24′S, 57°16′W).
Status:	Sunk. Final wreck position at (62°24.2929′S, 57°11.7748′W)
General characteristics
Tonnage:	2398
Length:	72.88 m
Beam:	14.08 m
Draught:	4.48 m
Ice class:	ICE-A (DNV) ^[2]
Propulsion:	2 x MAK Diesel M452 AK each 1,800 bhp (1,300 kW) , driving a single variable-pitch propeller, 4 blades
Speed:	12.5 knots (23 km/h)
Capacity:	104 passengers
Crew:	54

The MS Explorer was a Liberian-registered cruise ship designed for Arctic and Antarctic service, originally commissioned and operated by the Swedish explorer Lars-Eric Lindblad. Observers point to the Explorer’s 1969 expeditionary cruise to Antarctica as the frontrunner for today’s sea-based tourism in that region.^[3]^[4]

Ownership of the vessel changed several times since her commission, the last owner being the Toronto-based travel company G.A.P Adventures which acquired the Explorer in 2004. The vessel was formerly known as the MS Lindblad Explorer (–1985) and the MS Society Explorer (–1992).^[1]

The Explorer was the first cruise ship designed specifically to sail the icy waters of the Antarctic Ocean, and the first to sink there^[5] when she struck an unidentified submerged object on November 23, 2007, reported to be ice, which caused a 10 by 4 inch (25 × 10 cm) gash in the hull.^[6] The Explorer was abandoned in the early hours of November 23, 2007 after taking on water near the South Shetland Islands in the Southern Ocean, an area which is usually stormy but calm at the time.^[7]The Explorer was confirmed by the Chilean Navy to have sunk at approximately position: 62° 24′ South, 57° 16′ West, between South Shetlands and Grahams Land, in the Bransfield Strait,^[8] where the depth is roughly 600 m.^[9] The Royal Navy Antarctic Patrol Ship HMS Endurance, at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office whilst carrying out a hydrographic survey for the British Antarctic Survey, later pinpointed the Explorer's final resting place as 62° 24′ 17.57″ South, 57° 11′ 46.49″ West at an approximate depth of 1130 m, a distance of 4373 m from its reported sinking position. This is broadly consistent with the direction of the prevailing current.^[10] The cause of the sinking is still currently under investigation by insurers and the Liberian government.^[11]

1 History
2 Deficiencies
3 Sinking
- 3.1 Company statements
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The Explorer was commissioned by Lars-Eric Lindblad, the Swedish-American pioneer of exotic expedition tours, and built in 1969 at Nystads Varv shipyard^[12] in Uusikaupunki, Finland. The ship was built to stay afloat with two compartments filled with water. Her ice class on the HELCOM scale was IC.^[13]

The vessel was originally named the Lindblad Explorer after Lars-Eric Lindblad and was the first custom built expeditionary cruise ship. On February 11, 1972, the Explorer ran aground near La Plaza Point, Antarctica; her passengers, Lars-Eric Lindblad among them, were rescued by the Chilean Navy.^[14] She was towed to Buenos Aires, Argentina and then to Kristiansand, Norway for repairs.^[15]

In 1984, the Explorer navigated the Northwest Passage. In 1989 she was involved in the rescue of the crew of an Argentinian supply ship that had hit a rock ledge off Anvers Island, Antarctica.^[16]

In 1998, the Explorer was the first ship to circumnavigate James Ross Island;^[17] and the same year, she is claimed to have been the first ship, as distinct from river boat, to sail 80 miles (130 km) above Iquitos, Peru to the point where the Marañón and Ucayali rivers meet to become the Amazon River.^[18] The Explorer was depicted on at least two postage stamps issued by South Georgia and one issued by the Falkland Islands.^[19]^[20] The Explorer was nicknamed the Little Red Ship.^[21]

[edit] Deficiencies

An inspection at Puerto Natales, Chile in March 2007 revealed six deficiencies, including two that were related to navigation. An inspection at Greenock in May 2007 revealed five deficiencies including problems with watertight doors, lifeboats not maintained correctly, and search and rescue plans missing. It was reported that all the deficiencies found were rectified before the ship left port in each case.^[17]

[edit] Sinking

Location of King George Island

Map showing location of sinking

Passengers escape the sinking MS Explorer

The MS Explorer on 23 November 2007

Explorer departed from Ushuaia, Argentina on November 11, 2007 on a 19-day cruise intended to trace the route of 20th century explorer Ernest Shackleton through the Drake Passage (an area typically stormy with rough seas). After visiting the Falkland Islands and South Georgia she hit an unidentified submerged object in the Bransfield Strait close to King George Island in the Antarctic Ocean, near the South Shetland Islands, on November 23, 2007. The object struck by the Explorer made a reported 10 by 4 inch (25 × 10 cm) gash in the hull which allowed water to enter. The Argentine navy later said in a statement it observed "significant" damage.^[22]

Passengers on the Explorer reported a loud "bang" at that time of impact, although others reported that there had been no noticeable impact, or at least nothing more than the normal crunching of ice experienced when sailing through icy waters. One passenger reported sea water in the cabin at about 03:00 UTC. ^[23]^[24] Some reports also indicate that the ship drifted into an iceberg on the Explorer's starboard side while the crew was assessing damage caused by the original impact to the port side of the ship.^[25]

A mayday call was put out by the ship at 04:24 UTC, and rescue operations were quickly coordinated by the Prefectura Naval (Coast Guard Corps) of the Argentine Republic, and the Chilean Navy Center for Search and Rescue. Chile dispatched the icebreaker Almirante Viel, and nearby commercial ships including the MN Ushuaia, the National Geographic Endeavor, and the Norwegian Coastal Express ship MS Nordnorge which was operating as a passenger cruise ship at the time.^[26] By 07:30 UTC, all 91 passengers, 9 guides and 54 crew^[27], from over 14 countries^[28]^[29], were evacuated and had taken to the Explorer's life boats. The evacuees drifted for 5 hours until they were picked up by the Norwegian ship MS Nordnorge which arrived on scene at approximately 10:00 UTC. ^[30] ^[17]

All of those rescued by Nordnorge were taken to the Chilean Frei Montalva Station on King George Island where they were subsequently airlifted by C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of the Chilean Air Force to Punta Arenas, Chile^[17] in two separate flights, one on Saturday, November 24th and the other on Sunday, November 25th. Those passengers not taken to Punta Arenas (an estimated 70) were taken to Uruguay’s Artigas Base. The Explorer was completely submerged at 19:00 UTC, approximately 20 hours after the initial impact and damage to its hull.^[31]

The Explorer was designed, like most ships, with compartments which could be sealed off by watertight doors; the ship would not sink if holed and one compartment flooded, but was not safe if more compartments were flooded, either by a gash spanning compartments or imperfect sealing between compartments. GAP reported that there was a crack in addition to the hole, but it is not clear if it spanned compartments^[32].

In an article published on 8 December 2007 experts consider that the Explorer was "perfect for ice navigation", and consider that the explanation of the sinking "doesn't add up" and that "essential pieces of the story are missing" ^[33].

[edit] Company statements

On the morning of Friday, November 23rd, G.A.P. Adventures issued the following statement:

GAP Adventures, owners of the expedition ship, M/S Explorer, have confirmed that all 100 passengers and crew who were on board M/S Explorer when it hit ice in the Bransfield Strait off King George Island, Antarctica, earlier today are safe and uninjured.
Standard procedures were followed by the crew with passengers calmly evacuated to the ship’s life rafts and then transferred to the NordNorge, which was in the area.
The M/S Explorer’s crew are also now on the NordNorge.
On board the M/S Explorer were two Argentines, 10 Australians, two Belgians, 24 British nationals, 12 Canadians, one Chinese national, three Danes, 17 Dutch, one French, one German, two from Hong Kong, four Irish, one Japanese, four Swiss, 14 Americans, one Colombian and one Swede.
The families of those passengers are now being telephoned by GAP Adventures to advise them of the safety of their loved ones.
Families who have questions about their relatives and friends should contact GAP Adventures on +1 800 465 5600 ext 101.

At 10:00 EST, Saturday, November 24th, 2007, G.A.P. Adventures issued the following updated statement:

All passengers and crew, including the captain of M/S Explorer, are completely safe, uninjured and in good spirits. The passengers spent the night at King George Island in Antarctica. There are plans for passengers to board flights today and tomorrow to Punta Arenas, Chile. Accommodations have been arranged in Punta Arenas and flights home from there are currently being scheduled.
The passengers include 2 Argentines, 10 Australians, 2 Belgians, 24 British nationals, 12 Canadians, 1 Chinese national, 3 Danes, 17 Dutch, 1 French, 1 German, 2 from Hong Kong, 4 Irish, 1 Japanese, 4 Swiss, 14 Americans, 1 Colombian and 1 Swede. The captain of the ship is Swedish and the majority of the crew are understood to be from the Philippines. The crew on board M/S Explorer consist of 45 Filipinos, 4 Swedes, 2 Bulgarians, 2 New Zealanders, and 1 Pole.
We can now confirm that at 19:00 GMT, Friday, 23 November, M/S Explorer sank.
Further updates will be posted as they become available.