Is Antarctic tourism safe?
As with most nature-based and adventure travel, tour operators need to be prepared to handle unexpected events and extreme conditions. Provided they are properly organised, tourist visits to Antarctica are generally regarded as safe. There have been three major exceptions to the safe record of Antarctic tourism. In November 1979, an Air New Zealand sightseeing aeroplane tragically crashed into Mount Erebus (East Antarctica), killing everyone on board. In January 1989, the ship Bahia Paraiso sank in Arthur Harbour (Antarctic Peninsula). All passengers survived, but the sinking ship leaked several hundred thousand litres of fuel, which required a major clean-up operation. In November 2007 the tourist ship M/V Explorer sank in the Bransfield Strait between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. All 154 people aboard were evacuated into lifeboats and eventually safely rescued. The vessel sank in deep water distant from land, and while some fuel spilled from the vessel, and
