MS Nordkapp aground A cruise vessel owned by Hurtigruten Group with 370 people on board briefly ran aground near Deception Island in Antarctica on Tuesday. Hurtigruten said in a statement on Wednesday that the MS Nordkapp quickly refloated herself after the incident, during which none of the 294 passengers or 76 crew was injured.
"No spillage from the ship has been discovered," it said, but added it had laid out oil spill protection equipment as safety routines demand.
The MS Nordkapp has people from 19 nationalities on board, including 117 US citizens. Hurtigruten said it was too early to estimate the direct economic consequence of the incident but the company assumed the MS Nordkapp's last three sailings planned for this season in Antarctica would be cancelled.
The 123-meter-long vessel, built in 1996, is now anchored at Whalers Bay just off Deception Island and will now continue towards Ushuaia in Argentina in the company of another ship, Hurtigruten said.
It said sister vessel MS Nordnorge would arrive before noon on Wednesday, Jan. 31, to transport all passengers to Argentina. "The situation is under control and the passengers fully informed of the situation," it said.
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