British cruise tourists hit by glacier ice fall
Pastor Dale Morgan
British cruise tourists hit by glacier ice fall*
By Caroline Davies and Julian Isherwood
Last Updated: 7:59pm BST 09/08/2007
Seventeen British tourists were injured, four of them seriously, when
large chunks of ice sheared off a glacier and smashed into their luxury
sightseeing ship during an Arctic cruise.
Passengers suffered broken arms and legs, fractured ribs and head
injuries as their vessel listed violently in the sea off the Svalbard
Islands, north of Norway.
Ice blocks crashed onto the deck of the ship while other chunks
collapsed into the sea, causing a huge wave that rocked the boat from
side to side, tossing the tourists about.
Alexey Maryshev ship
The Alexey Maryshev was originally a research vessel before being
converted for passenger use
One said the experience was "totally terrifying" and they feared the
boat would capsize.
An immediate investigation was launched amid claims questioning whether
the vessel had sailed too close to the towering Horn Glacier when it
suddenly "calved" - the term used when a ice drops off to form an iceberg.
Six people, including one Russian crew member, were airlifted to
hospital in Tromso on the Norwegian mainland. The others received
treatment at the local hospital in Longyearbyen on the island of
Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. None are said to have
"life-threatening" injuries.
Fifty British holidaymakers were aboard the Alexey Maryshev, a Russian
research vessel converted into a sightseeing boat, when the freak
accident happened as they viewed the spectacular ice formation on
Wednesday afternoon.
They were nearing the end of a £3,000-a-head cruise booked through the
UK specialist tour company Discover The World company.
Svalbard police said they had launched an official investigation to
establish whether the vessel, operated by the Dutch company Oceanwide
Expeditions, had sailed too close to the glacier.
"The Russian captain said he was very close to the Horn Glacier when it
began to calve [break up]," said Svalbard deputy police chief Petter
Braathen.
"The ship was on its side and got a lot of ice on the deck. The big ice
blocks that hit the water also caused high waves and the vessel rocked
from side to side. It listed heavily and the passengers were thrown around.
"I would say this was a very serious incident. Luckily a Scottish
passenger on board was a doctor. He did a fine job of preparing the
injured passengers to be transported to a Polish research station nearby."
Sightseeing ships routinely sailed close to the glaciers, he said, "but
not as close as this".
While it is usual for chunks of glaciers to break off into the sea,
forming icebergs, the accident is bound to raise the question of whether
global warming could have contributed.
Following the accident, the four most seriously injured were immediately
flown by helicopter to the University Hospital in Tromso. Another two
were airlifted there on Thursday morning.
Four remained in Longyearbyen Hospital on Thursday night, while the
others were released after treatment. The ship will remain in port in
Longyearbyen while the investigation continues.
The son of one of the victims said his father had broken ribs and a
punctured lung and had said the incident was "totally terrifying" and
they feared the ship was going to capsize.
The tourists, all aged between 40 years and 70 years, had been enjoying
a ten-day cruise which, according to the brochure, promised "an amazing
ice-filled experience" "fantastic wildlife viewing" and "awe-inspiring
landscapes."
The remote Arctic islands, around 620 miles from the North Pole, are a
popular tourist destination during the short summer months because of
their abundant Arctic wildlife and up to 20 similar ships cruise the
region in season.
The Alexey Maryshev, which had 22 Russian crew members, managed to make
to Longyearbyen under power where the captain was being questioned.
Discover the World’s managing director Clive Stacey, said the ship’s
captain had been told to maintain a safe distance from the glacier. "The
captain has very strict instructions on how far he is allowed to come
close to the glacier.
"We are at the moment investigating, as is the governor of Spitsbergen,
exactly what happened and if that’s the case, why was he so close".
Elisabeth Bjørge Løvold, acting governor of Svalbard, said: "We have
never had any case like this, as far as I know. The glaciers often calve
and big pieces get into the ocean and ships know they should stay some
distance from them".
Ko de Korte of Oceanwide Expeditions, said the boat was built in Finland
in 1990 as a Russian research vessel and was converted to passenger use
in the Netherlands.
"We have been operating since 1982 and this is out first accident....so
this is serious," he said.
The Foreign Office said it was offering assistance through its embassy
in Oslo. The Arctic Svalbard Archipelago is under Norwegian sovereignty,
though is governed by an international treaty.