Editorial: Potentially disastrous travel

Saturday, Dec. 1, 2007 | 7:01 a.m.

A commercial passenger ship sinking off Antarctica last week was the kind of disaster about which experts expressed concerns last spring.

All 154 passengers and crew members aboard the Explorer were rescued from the frigid region after a chunk of ice pierced the ship's hull last Saturday.

But more such accidents could be on the horizon. Experts from the United States and Britain warned a conference of Antarctic Treaty nations that Antarctica's increasing tourism is a disaster waiting to happen. About 35,000 people are expected to visit the region this season, up from just over 6,700 in 1992-93.

The Antarctic isn't owned or governed by any one nation. Activity is guided through the Antarctic Treaty - a document first signed in 1959 by a group of 12 nations that included the United States and that now involves 45 nations.

Despite the treaty, the governance of some activities remains unclear - such as who would be responsible for any environmental damage caused by the Explorer's leaking its 48,000 gallons of diesel fuel or how tourism could be regulated to avoid accidents.

Not all travelers head to this most unforgiving region in ships like the Explorer, which was built specifically for taking passengers to Antarctica and was equipped with a hull designed to withstand being struck by ice. Other ships that are taking passengers to the region, although large, aren't always equipped for ice - as is the case with the Golden Princess, a 109,000-ton ocean liner that carried 2,500 passengers and 1,200 crew members to the Antarctic last year, the Associated Press reports.

Last month the Antarctic Treaty group adopted a resolution asking members to discourage or ban Antarctic tourist ships that carry more than 500 passengers. But it applies only to treaty nations and, even then, is effective only if nations choose to honor it.

As the Explorer accident illustrated, Antarctic tourists are at risk even on the best of ships. And such excursions place rescuers at risk when something goes wrong. The treaty nations should explore ways to ensure that the ships traveling to Antarctica are safe and appropriately designed for its conditions.