MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Departure of Antarctic cruise from Ushuaia delayed because of Covid 19 among the crew

Passengers scheduled to board the Ultramarine for the Antarctic tour, and expected on Friday, have had their charter flight delayed until December first.

Covid 19 emergency in Ushuaia delays the departure of Quark Expeditions state of the art cruise vessel Ultramarine to Antarctica. According to reports from the capital of Tierra del Fuego, abiding by sanitary protocols, the 173 crew members of the vessel were on board PCR tested, with four of them turning out positive.

Following on this information the vessel was authorized to dock but the crew remained in preventive isolation until the results of a second PCR test, this time by Argentine health authorities to make sure there were no further contagions. According to the results of the tests, different options are to be considered.

If in effect only the four crew members are tested positive, they will taken to a local hotel to comply with isolation measures, the Ultramarine will undergo a deep disinfection process, before being discharged. However if the number of positive cases is greater, the vessel could be forced to remain in quarantine.

The passengers that were to board the Ultramarine for the Antarctic tour, were scheduled to arrive this Friday but have had their charter flight delayed until at least December first.

The Marshall Islands Ultramarine 200-passenger polar ship was purpose built for safety and far-off exploration. The vessel boasts specialized exploration tools, cutting-edge safety measures and a 70-day cruising range to focus on hard-to-reach places. She was built at Croatia’s award-winning Brodosplit, the largest shipyard in the country, and is designed by LMG Marin, Europe’s leading naval architect.

Ultramarine, launched in 2020, is 420 feet long, 70 feet beam and has a 14,6 feet draft. She has a 16 knots speed and is Ice class 1A, PC6. Ultramarine sports two onboard helicopters for sightseeing; a fleet of inflatable Zodiac rafts and sea level hangar, plus options for sea kayaking, stand-up paddle-boarding, cross-country skiing, mountaineering, camping ashore, and hiking.