MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New Zealand calls for adequate regulation of Antarctic tourism

Minister Murray McCully worry about cruise regulations in the Southern Ocean

New Zealand called for tighter controls on “inadequately regulated” shipping in the Southern Ocean, after the M/V Ocean Nova cruise ran aground off Antarctica. Although no one was hurt NZ Foreign Minister Murray McCully said the accident highlighted the need for action before there was a disaster in the area.

It was the fourth accident involving a passenger ship in Antarctica in just over a year. "If nothing is done, it will be only a matter of time before there is a disaster in the Southern Ocean," he said, while announcing a conference in New Zealand later this year on ship-borne tourism in the Antarctic region. "The focus will be on how to prevent a major maritime accident, and how to put controls around what is a rapidly expanding but currently inadequately regulated industry," he said. "Tourist ships pose a significant risk not only to human life, but also to a pristine, fragile environment," he said. McCully said the cruise industry had to realize the Southern Ocean was "a remote, inhospitable and dangerous place for tourist vessels" and difficult for search and rescue services to reach. Representatives from the 47 countries that are party to the Antarctic Treaty, along with delegates from the tourism industry and non-governmental organizations will attend the conference. Last December, an Argentine-run vessel, Ciudad de Ushuaia, ran aground. The Chilean navy rescued its 89 passengers. The previous December, a Norwegian-run liner, Fram, drifted with 256 passengers on board after its engines failed. A month earlier, the ship Explorer hit an iceberg and sank. The 154 people on board were rescued. In similar terms the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, ASOC, says its time for stronger controls over Antarctic tourism. "A vessel with just over 100 people aboard throws into stark relief the risks posed by the increasing numbers of vessels and by enormous vessels which have now begun to operate in the Antarctic, some of which carry more than 2500 people. Not only do these vessels carry more fuel, but also the largest ones tend to carry heavy fuel oil, which poses an even greater risk to the marine environment", points out ASOC. Despite the rapid growth, expansion and diversification of tourism for well over a decade, and a spate of serious accidents involving tourism ships, the Antarctic Treaty System lacks a comprehensive policy for tourism in Antarctica. Furthermore, there are no legally-binding internationally agreed standards or operation procedures for vessels operating in the Antarctic and at the last Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (Kiev, Ukraine, June 2008) no agreement was reached to address the increase of Antarctic tourism overall, nor on specific measures to address aspects of tourism of particular concern. "Given the growing complexity of tourism there is not a single specific action that Antarctic Treaty Parties should take to address the problems raised by tourism, but rather a range of measures is needed to control tourism and protect Antarctica". ASOC says it hopes there will be progress at the upcoming meeting of Treaty Parties in Baltimore, US in April. ASCO would like to see Antarctic Treaty Parties agree on a tourism strategy and for the United Nations International Maritime Organization IMO to extend the existing Arctic Guidelines to cover ships operating in the Antarctic. This includes banning ships exceeding a certain size and carrying more than a certain number of people or a certain amount of fuel on board, establishing ice-strengthening standards for vessels which go into Antarctic waters, establishing stringent qualifications and training for ice navigators, and reviewing how effectively existing regulations are implemented. ASOC believes that there is an urgent need for Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties to establish sensible operating rules for tourism and for the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) to establish a legally-binding instrument for shipping in Antarctic waters before a catastrophe occurs. ASOC also believes that because of the sensitivity and vulnerability of Antarctic waters used by the tourism industry to the impacts of shipping, designation by the IMO as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area should be considered.