Star Princess Cruises To Antarctica
Man Versus Iceberg, And The Winner Is . . .
December 3, 2007
I had to wonder how many passengers might book a cruise to South America AKA Antarctica where the mean annual air temperature is -3°C. Temperatures range from +11°C to -28°C with icebergs and glaciers in great abundance, including lurking beneath the surface of the ocean, waiting to rip open the hull of a passenger ship, like one did to M/V Explorer, but be thinking fun in the sun, as the website hints at with all the language about the pools aboard Star Princess.
It seems to me Princess wants to sell the cruises, but doesn't want large attention to the fact that these voyages by Star Princess have the invisible words "doomed" stamped all over them.
Make no mistake, Princess is being sure not to deceive anyone when it comes to text that can be quoted in court. On the web page promotion for the voyage they are clear that this ship is not prepared to go to Antarctica. The phrase "ice-strengthened" is not used. There is no "we are ice-strengthened" nor "we are NOT ice-strengthened." There is a void.
They give ship facts which include a few more important points than hull durability such as a "full deck of mini-suites" and "Over 700 balcony staterooms". This is something the swimming penguins will be sure to enjoy. I would guess none of them has ever swam into a submerged mini-suite with a balcony. I can just imagine the excited penguin chatter back on the island later that day.
No mention of an ice-strengthened vessel is made, though an obvious omission when you look at promotions for all other lines offering cruises to Antarctica. But, just when I was about to label this promotion as "you can't fix stupid", I realized I was wrong.
Along with only six items of "ship facts", less than I have for Star Princess on the main page of this story, was the final, and most important fact of all, a fact all passengers should share with their land-lubbing family members at home before they embark, "Bermudan Registered". Right there is the most important fact of the voyage.
IF that single, non-fortified hull, warm water ship sinks in Antarctica, this is when the real adventure begins, for the surviving families back at home.
When the M/V Explorer sunk off Antarctica less than two weeks ago, there were passengers aboard from numerous nations. To be exact, there were 24 British nationals, 17 Dutch, 14 Americans, 12 Canadians, 10 Australians, 4 Irish, 4 Swiss, 3 Danes, 2 Argentines, 2 Belgians, 2 from Hong Kong, 1 Chinese national, 1 French, 1 German, 1 Japanese, 1 Colombian and 1 Swede.
This last sinking was on a rather small ship. Star Princess holds more than 3,000 passengers at full capacity, more than the Titanic held, and is the largest ship, by far, to venture into the waters off Antarctica. Her presence there has been called irresponsible by many in the martime industry.
Potentially, a dozen or more nations could be added to the mix of the M/V Explorer head count, making for one of the most complex legal cases in maritime passenger history. That case will sit in the legal system for decades. Simple single victim cruise industry cases have circled in the legal system for ten years or more. Dozens of nations will fight over who is financially responsible for the environmental nightmare that will remain. I would have to say the buck stops at Bermuda. They have been shielding a large portion of the cruise industry; the time has come for them to pony up.
This brings me to the final thought on Star Princess cruises to Antarctica. Are there really 6,000 people, congregating on two voyages, who care so little about their own life, and the life of those loved ones who will survive them, that they would put themselves and their survivors through such turmoil for the sake of looking at a few penguins, all of which are now slowly being poisoned to death from the pollution of the last sinking, and some 8x10 glossies of glaciers and icebergs instead of sitting in their armchair, and watching the less dynamic, but every bit as breathtaking images on National Geographic television?
The answer is "yes". You can't fix stupid. But, you can legislate it when greed and selfishness outweigh common sense.
For those who are much wiser, having learned from the history pages of 'Iceberg Meets Passenger Ship', please join me in the comfort of your own office chair, as we watch the voyage in the warmth and safety of our secure zone, using the Bow Cam of Star Princess. The ship will be near Antarctica on Day 6 to Day 9 of the cruises.
Who knows, you might get some near priceless footage, of the greatest maritime passenger disaster in the 21st century, without having risked life, nor limb. It may not happen the first time, nor the second, but one thing is sure, when you can't fix stupid, eventual disaster is not a matter of IF, but WHEN.
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The islands on the northern tip of Antarctica, known as the South Shetland Islands are the destination for these "South America" cruises. They have been the scene of several recent impacts with icebergs. The seas around Cape Horn have a well-earned reputation among savvy sailors as unpredictable and violent. These are facts not mentioned in the Princess Cruises brochure. See video here
Reality Check - Above: Temperatures at Butler Island Weather Station. This is close to the area the cruise ships sail near. Not really a bikini clad destination.
