| Home | Offers | Ocean Cruises | River Cruises | No Fly | Lines | Ships | Adventure | Singles | Theme | Destinations | Ports |
Quark Expeditions are attempting to encourage more tourists to Antarctica by removing the most tedious part of the cruise…that being the long and rough crossing of Drake Passage…
Half Moon Island, Antarctica
Source: Michelle Higgins New York Times
Last month, on its next-to-last day of a 15-day Antarctic tour, the Ocean Nova, carrying 65 passengers and a crew of 41, ran aground in Antarctica and was stalled for more than a day. Damage was minor (some flaking paint and dents to the hull), and all passengers on the cruise, run by Connecticut-based Quark Expeditions, were safely transferred to another ship. But the incident, the fourth maritime accident in three years involving excursion vessels in Antarctica, is raising concerns about the dangers of fast-growing tourism in the region.